The Dark Lady Reigns
by cleotheo
Summary: Third and final part of The Dark Lady trilogy. With school now finished with, and the Death Eaters firmly under her control, it's time for The Dark Lady to take the wizarding world by storm. Can Hermione succeed in gaining the power her father always wanted, or will the Order manage to bring her down? Dark Hermione!
1. Dinner with the Riddle's

**A/N – Here it is the third and final part of the Dark Lady trilogy. Before we start, I just want to mention a few things.**

**Firstly, there will be no big public revelation of the Dark Lady's identity. That's not to say people won't find out who Hermione is, as over the course of the story quite a few people discover her true identity. As a result of keeping her identity secret, Hermione uses her glamour charms in public. Her public persona is charmed long black hair and blue eyes, combined with her dramatic make-up and perfectly manicured nails. Even though it's not always stated (mainly so I'm not repeating myself) unless she'd alone or with someone like Draco or Lucius, Hermione always had her glamour charms on.**

**As indicated in the second part, Hermione's plans are much more manipulative and calculating than Voldemort's way of going about things. As a result there isn't as much violence and fighting, but Hermione will use her father's methods at times.**

**Lastly, for the first time in a long time I'm publishing a story I'm not finished writing. I had been hoping to have this part wrote before it was time to publish, but I've also been working on other stories at the same time and I've gotten a bit side-tracked. I do however write at least a couple of chapters a week, so it should be finished in the near future. However, I can say that it will be another long story, going over 40 chapters. Until I've finished writing, or have the ending firmly in my sights, publishing will be going back to the normal updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.**

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Hermione walked through the familiar hallways of Malfoy Manor, heading towards her boyfriend's wing of the enormous house. They had finished school the previous week and Hermione was arriving to take Draco home to meet her parents. Obviously since he thought her father was dead, he presumed he was just meeting her mother. She didn't want him to be too taken aback by the fact Voldemort was alive, so she had come early to talk to him. She just hoped he understood why she hadn't told him sooner.

When she arrived in the corridor where Draco's room was located, Hermione found the blond's bedroom door open. Considering he lived in his own wing of the house the door was rarely shut, unless they were in bed, in which case Hermione made sure the door was always firmly closed. Even though Draco's parents knew about their relationship and fully approved, she didn't want them to catch the pair of them in the act.

Reaching Draco's bedroom, Hermione paused in the doorway as she was hit was a feeling of déjà-vu. Her boyfriend was just emerging from the bathroom, wearing just a towel wrapped around his waist, seemingly oblivious to her presence as he walked across the room. The exact same thing had happened almost two years ago, when she'd visited him to see about him joining the Death Eaters. Back then he hadn't noticed her presence either and had dropped his towel, causing them both to become flustered and embarrassed. Almost as if he'd heard her thoughts, Draco repeated his actions of two years ago and dropped his towel, giving Hermione a rather nice view of his backside. Unlike two years ago Hermione wasn't flustered or embarrassed, she'd seen Draco naked enough times to cure her of any shyness when it came to him.

Instead of just calling his name, like she had last time, Hermione tiptoed into the bedroom and approached Draco. He was rifling through his chest of drawers and didn't even react to her presence in the room until her hand grabbed his bum and gave it a light squeeze. At the feeling Draco's head whipped round and Hermione grinned at her startled boyfriend.

"You're early." He commented as he turned around and gave Hermione a kiss, wrapping his arms around her as he did so.

"I want to talk to you." Hermione replied, leaning in for another kiss and trying not to get too distracted by her naked lover.

"Talking's overrated." Draco muttered, nuzzling into Hermione's neck.

Hermione threaded her fingers through Draco's damp hair, and was so very tempted to make the most of her earliness by tumbling into bed with her lover. However if she did that, they wouldn't have time to talk about her father and that was the reason why she was early in the first place.

Sighing Hermione pushed Draco away from her and detangled herself from his embrace. "Get dressed, we need to talk." She told him, as she walked over to his bed and sat down.

Draco frowned at Hermione's departure from his arms, but did as she asked and got dressed. Once he was fully clothed he went and joined his girlfriend on the bed, unsure of where their conversation would head.

"I take it this is something serious." Draco remarked, when Hermione remained silent.

"It is." Hermione nodded. "What I'm about to tell you must never leave this room. My mother and your parents are the only people who know what I'm about to tell you, and you have to swear this goes no further."

"You know I would never betray your confidence." Draco replied.

Hermione smiled, knowing he was telling the truth and she could trust him. She'd always known she could trust him, but this was different, she was trusting him with her father's big secret. Hermione had actually been trying since Easter to get her father's permission to let Draco in on his secret, but he'd only just relented when Hermione had told him how bad she felt lying to the man she loved.

"My father is still alive." Hermione said quietly.

Draco opened and closed his mouth several times, as he struggled for a response. He was totally thrown by the news, and didn't know how to respond. For two years Hermione had lied to him, and he didn't know whether to be angry or hurt that she hadn't confided in him.

"I wanted to tell you earlier, but my father wouldn't let me." Hermione said, unsure if Draco was angry with her.

"Why not?" Draco asked. "I wouldn't have told anyone."

"I know that, and actually so does he." Hermione replied. "But he's a proud man and didn't want people to see him the way he is now."

"How is he now?"

"Like he was before fourth year." Hermione answered sadly. "The spell didn't work correctly and his return was only temporary. He now doesn't have any magic at all, and he's basically an old man."

"I'm sorry." Draco said.

"I'm sorry, for not being able to tell you." Hermione retorted. "But I had to respect my father's wishes and he didn't want you to know."

"Then why are you telling me now?" Draco questioned.

"Because I begged him to let me tell you." Hermione answered. "I don't want you to be in the dark about a major part of my life. It will only tear us apart if we keep secrets from one another. I just hope this hasn't already ruined things."

"Of course it hasn't, I understand why you didn't tell me." Draco smiled reassuringly at Hermione as he took hold of her hand. "You were just following your father's wishes, and in your place I would have done the same thing."

"So you're not mad at me?" Hermione questioned.

"No, I'm not mad at you." Draco replied. "In fact it answers a few questions I've had."

"Like what?" Hermione frowned in confusion.

"Like why you never tried to kill Potter." Draco answered. "That's always puzzled me. You went after Dumbledore, but were content to let Potter live. I've always wondered why. Why you would allow the person who killed your father to live."

"If Harry had actually killed my father, he would already be dead." Hermione declared. "I needed to get rid of Dumbledore because he was a bigger threat to what I wanted to do. He could genuinely get people to turn against me and follow him, whereas with Harry it's very simple to discredit him. Although if he does become too much a problem, he'll have to be disposed of."

"I always wondered if you'd never done anything because of all the years you'd been friends with him." Draco admitted.

"None of that was real, I just did what I needed to do." Hermione replied, even though deep down she knew that wasn't true. She wasn't a heartless monster and over the course of the last seven years she had come to care about Harry and Ron in her own way.

"I know that's what you said, but I often wondered if maybe they had gotten to you and you did actually like them." Draco replied. He did genuinely believe that Hermione cared for her friends more than she would ever admit, but he knew better than to push her into admitting it.

Hermione looked at Draco in surprise. "Why have you never mentioned any of this before? Why not just ask me about what I was doing? Surely I'm not that scary."

"It was none of my business." Draco shrugged. "Who am I to question The Dark Lady?"

"My boyfriend." Hermione answered as she took hold of Draco's hand and moved closer to him. "I know when it comes to meetings and stuff I expect you to act like any other Death Eater, but you don't need to when we're alone. If you want to ask me about something, just ask. I'm not going to hide anything from you, I promise."

Draco smiled at Hermione, before leaning in and gently brushing his lips against hers.

"Are you still up for dinner then?" Hermione asked, pulling away with a smile on her lips. "My parents still want to meet you properly as my boyfriend."

"Parents?" Draco paled at the thought of facing Voldemort, when he was dating his daughter. "Is The Dark Lord going to be there?"

"Of course, that's one of the reasons I came over early." Hermione answered. "I didn't want you to just turn up and come face to face with him."

"That would have been a big shock." Draco admitted. "Even bigger than having you tell me about him."

Hermione laughed lightly at the thought of Draco coming face to face with her father without knowing he was alive. The image was rather amusing, but he'd deserved to know what he was facing before heading to her house.

"Are you ready to face him, then?" Hermione asked as she stood up. "We better be going, before we're late."

"We don't want that." Draco remarked as he stood up and checked he had everything. He knew from what his father said that Voldemort valued punctuality and he doubted that would have changed. "Let's go." He said, grabbing hold of Hermione's hand.

Hermione smiled at her boyfriend, before producing her wand and apparating them to her house. Hermione and Draco landed in the front hallway of the house. Hermione gave Draco a few minutes to get settled, before leading him into the front room. Hermione's parents were both sitting on the sofa, and Kathleen jumped up to greet her daughter and her boyfriend.

"It's nice to meet you properly, Draco." Kathleen smiled.

Draco's eyes widened in recognition as he recognised Hermione's mother from Death Eater meetings. She was a high ranking Death Eater, but Draco hadn't heard any whispers about her and Voldemort and he certainly hadn't witnessed Hermione acting any different towards her mother in meetings.

"You too, Mrs Riddle." Draco replied politely, still shocked that he'd already met Hermione's mother.

"Hermione forgot to mention I was a Death Eater, didn't she?" Kathleen chuckled.

"Yeah, she did." Draco said, shooting his girlfriend an unimpressed look. Some warning on who her mother was would have also been nice.

"Sorry." Hermione shrugged. "Draco, come and meet my father." She said, taking hold of her boyfriend's hand and pulling him over to where Voldemort sat.

Draco watched Hermione lean over and give Voldemort a hug and a peck on the cheek, all the time trying not to appear shocked by the dark wizard's appearance. The man sitting in front of him in no way resembled the strong wizard he'd met just three years previously. Voldemort was now white haired and his advanced age was very evident, not to mention that he looked so weak and frail. Draco was half worried that he was going to keel over at any minute. While his body was weak and old, the second he spoke Draco knew he wasn't past it just yet. Voldemort's voice was still strong and it still held the sound of the powerful wizard he once was.

"Draco, it's nice to see you again."

"You too, My Lord." Draco nodded respectfully. While Voldemort may not have had his magic anymore he was still the reason the Death Eaters existed, and more importantly he was the father of the witch he was in love with.

"No need to be so formal, Draco." Voldemort chuckled. "You may call me Voldemort."

"Yes, sir." Draco replied. He couldn't help but wonder if he never used the name Tom, or if only his family got to use that name.

"Kathleen, why don't you and Hermione go and check on dinner." Voldemort said, his suggestion sounding more like an order. "Draco and I will be with you shortly."

Kathleen and Hermione left the room without arguing and Draco found himself alone with Hermione's father. Draco was instantly concerned, wondering if Voldemort didn't approve of him and Hermione and was going to order him to keep his hands off his daughter. Because he'd thought the older wizard was dead, he'd never really considered what he thought about their relationship.

"Sit down Draco." Voldemort ordered. "And don't look so nervous, I'm a harmless old man."

"No offence, but I don't think you'd ever be harmless." Draco said as he sat down on a chair opposite The Dark Lord. "Even without your magic, you're still a wizard to be respected and feared."

"If only that were true." Voldemort sighed wistfully. "But unfortunately, it's not. I'm dying Draco, and every day my body gets closer to giving up on me. One day soon, I'm not going to be here anymore and I need to know my little girl is alright. I know she's a powerful witch and has big plans to gain power, but I need to know she's happy. Power and everything that comes with it is great, but it's nothing if you don't have the right person to share it with. I know Hermione loves you, but do you love her?"

"More than anything." Draco said sincerely. "I promise I will always be there for her and look out for her."

"Make sure you do. I may be an old man with no magic, but Kathleen isn't. She's a formidable witch and if you ever hurt Hermione, she will make you pay." Voldemort warned.

Draco gulped nervously at the warning, but since he was never planning on hurting Hermione he wasn't too worried. "I won't hurt her. Hermione means the world to me, and all I want is for her to be happy."

"That makes two of us." Voldemort replied. "Now let's go and have dinner before Hermione comes to make sure I'm not grilling you too hard."

Draco chuckled as he stood up, he could just imagine Hermione coming back to ensure her father wasn't scaring him away. Noticing Voldemort was struggling to stand up, Draco walked over to the old man and offered him his arm. Voldemort gratefully used it to help himself to his feet.

"Thank you." He said quietly, clearly embarrassed that he'd needed help. "I hate not being able to stand up by myself."

"Don't mention it." Draco replied. "I know what it's like having to rely on others to help you do simple things. I was like that after Black kidnapped me, I couldn't even make it to the bathroom without help."

"Luckily, I don't have that problem." Voldemort chuckled as they began slowly walking towards the dining room. "I just struggle getting up, once I'm on my feet I can move okay. Slowly, but at least I'm still walking."

"I'm sure you'll be walking around for a good while yet." Draco remarked as they reached the door to the dining room.

Voldemort shook his head, but didn't respond as they entered the dining room to find Kathleen and Hermione waiting for them. Taking their seats, the conversation the two wizards had just had wasn't mentioned again as Draco enjoyed his first evening with Hermione's family.


	2. Looking for Hermione

One month after leaving Hogwarts, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were starting to get concerned that they hadn't heard from Hermione. When they hadn't heard from her in the first few weeks, they weren't that concerned, but as the time arrived that she was due to be registered on the muggleborn registration, worry started to creep in. As far as they knew she still hadn't signed up, meaning unless she was staying in the muggle world without magic, she had to have left the country to avoid her wand being snapped in two.

Despite Ron's lingering resentment towards Percy, due to his brother joining Lucius Malfoy's staff, the pair went to see him when they hadn't heard from Hermione. Percy lived in a small flat near to the Ministry and the pair waited until he would have finished work before visiting him.

"And what can I do for you?" Percy asked, when he opened the door to find Harry and Ron standing on his doorstep.

"Can't we just pay you a visit?" Ron asked as him and Harry entered Percy's neat flat. "You are my brother."

"You've never visited me in all the years I've lived here." Percy pointed out. "Not to mention, you've barely spoken to me these last few months."

"That's because you've sided with the devil." Ron argued. "Lucius is a monster, you shouldn't be working for him."

"Mr Malfoy is a good boss, and a good Minister." Percy retorted. "He's given me a chance to prove myself, and I would have been stupid to turn the opportunity down."

When Ron opened his mouth to carry on arguing, Harry elbowed him in the side to get him to shut up. "Stop it." He hissed to his friend, before turning to Percy. "You're right, we are here for something. We need a favour."

"What?" Percy sighed. "I won't do anything to help you in the foolish crusade you've got going on against the Minister."

"We just want to know about Hermione." Ron told his brother. He knew there was no point arguing with Percy about Lucius, especially when they wanted his help.

"What about her?"

"Has she signed up for the muggleborn registration?" Harry asked.

"That's confidential information." Percy replied.

"Please, Percy." Ron pleaded with his brother. "We haven't heard from her, and we're worried."

"I really shouldn't be doing this." Percy muttered, walking over to a desk that was sitting in front of the window. Rifling through a file, he looked at a few pieces of parchment before turning around and shaking his head at the duo. "She hasn't, and her time to do so is up. Sometime this week someone from the department will pay her a visit."

"What happens then?" Ron asked.

"If she's there and still won't sign up, her wand will be snapped." Percy replied. "If she's gone, her wand will be de-registered for use in this country. If she then uses her wand, we can trace her and she'll be arrested for practicing magic illegally."

"And you say Lucius is a good Minister for Magic." Ron snorted. "How is any of what you've just described fair to Hermione?"

"It's perfectly fair, all she has to do is sign up to the register." Percy retorted. "No-one's stopping her living in the wizarding world and practicing magic. The register is to monitor muggleborns worth in society and by not signing up Hermione is proving exactly what Mr Malfoy has been saying. She's had seven years of the best Wizarding education in Europe and instead of putting something back into society, she's just left."

"She's left, because she didn't want to have to register to use the magic she was born with." Harry argued.

"And if Hogwarts had never sent her a letter she never would have known about her magic, therefore she would have grown up in the muggle world quite happily." Percy replied. "Using magic and entering our world is a privilege, and all Mr Malfoy wants to do is ensure people understand and respect what it means to use magic."

"You know what Percy, you've been completely brainwashed by that Death Eater you call a boss." Ron glared at his brother in disgust. "I'm ashamed to call you my brother."

"Then don't." Percy retorted with a shrug. "If you're not willing to move with the times, that's your problem, not mine."

"Come on, Harry, let's go." Ron turned to his best friend and together they started heading towards the front door.

"A thank you would have been nice." Percy called after them as the door slammed shut.

"What do we do now?" Ron asked.

"Let's go check Hermione's house." Harry said.

"How?" Ron asked. "We don't know where exactly she lived."

"Maybe the Order can help us." Harry suggested.

Heading back to the Burrow, Harry and Ron spoke to Molly and she agreed to find them Hermione's address. Molly had to go to McGonagall, who luckily had access to the school records, to find out exactly where Hermione lived. A few days after asking, Molly handed Ron the address, and made him and Harry promise to find out if Hermione was safe.

With the new information about where Hermione lived, Harry and Ron set off to check on their friend. When they arrived at the house she supposedly lived in they knew the Grangers had left. Parked in the drive was a large furniture van and a new family were obviously moving in.

"Can I help you?" A smiling woman, in her late thirties asked, approaching the duo as they stood looking up at the house.

"We're looking for our friend, Hermione Granger." Harry said. "She used to live here."

"The Granger's were the couple we bought the house off." The woman replied. "Is she their daughter?"

"Yeah." Ron nodded.

"I don't suppose you happen to know where they went, do you?" Harry asked

"I think they were moving to America." The woman answered. "I don't know whereabouts though, sorry."

"It's okay, you've been a great help." Harry smiled. "One more thing, do you mind us asking when you bought the house?"

"We bought it a few month ago, but as you can see we're only just moving in today." The woman answered. "When we finalised everything the Granger's were still sorting their move, so we agreed they could stay on until last week."

"Thanks for the help." Harry said, before him and Ron started to walk away.

"I can't believe she's left already." Ron muttered sadly. "And she didn't even say goodbye."

"Maybe she's waiting until she's settled before writing to us." Harry suggested. "If her parents moved last week, that didn't give her a lot of time to arrange to go with them. I bet she's just been so busy she never had time to write. I'm sure she will though."

"I hope so." Ron replied, as they ducked into an alley to apparate back to the Burrow and deliver the news that Hermione had already left.

**[][][][][]**

While Harry and Ron were visiting the muggle home she'd never even stepped foot inside, Hermione was with Lucius checking out a large, abandoned building. The building was a three story affair, with its own large grounds and was secluded from the prying eyes of muggles. Of course a few extra privacy charms would ensure muggles never set eyes on the place once it was up and running.

"It's perfect." Hermione beamed.

"Should I go and get the real estate broker?" Lucius asked.

The pair had been accompanied by a wizard who worked for the finest real estate firm in wizarding Britain. The firm boasted that they could find any property or land that the client desired, so they had been Lucius's first port of call when Hermione instructed him to find her either a large secluded building or a large piece of land.

"Yes." Hermione nodded.

Lucius went off to find the wizard who had accompanied them to the property, while Hermione and Lucius had gone inside he had remained outside in the sun. Left alone, Hermione wandered over to the large window in the room she was in and gazed out over the secluded grounds. This place was ideal for what she wanted to do, and she was already going over the plans for the building in her head.

When Lucius returned with the real estate broker, contracts were exchanged and signed. Hermione, or technically her newly formed company DL Holdings, was the proud owner of the building and its grounds. Now she could begin transforming the place into what she saw in her mind's eye whenever she thought about her plans.

"I also want to ask you about some land." Hermione said to the real estate wizard. "I would like a large piece of land, maybe a few miles from here."

"I can see what I can do." The wizard replied. "Do you want buildings on the land, or just the land?"

"Ideally just the land. I can build whatever buildings we may need." Hermione replied. "I just need a vast piece of land."

"May I ask what you're planning on doing with the land?" The wizard asked hesitantly. "It's just sometimes easier to find the right place, if I know about the potential buyer's future plans."

"I hope you understand, this is just between us. If word gets out what I'm planning on doing, I'll know exactly who to come to." Hermione said, smiling coldly at the wizard, who gulped and nodded in understanding. "I plan on creating a magical creature's sanctuary."

Hermione had to chuckle when both the real estate bloke and Lucius gaped at her in amazement. Until just now she'd actually forgotten she hadn't mentioned her latest brainwave to Lucius. While he knew what she planned on doing with the building they were currently standing in, he'd had no idea about the sanctuary she was thinking about creating.

"Does that help with your search?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." The wizard nodded. "I'll look into it and I'll be in touch. Goodbye Miss Riddle, Minister Malfoy."

With a final incline of the head the wizard turned and hurried off Hermione's property, keen to get looking for some more land. If he pleased The Dark Lady, she might use their firm more often, which would earn him a lot of brownie points with the owners.

"When did you decide to open a sanctuary for magical creatures?" Lucius asked.

"When I decided I wanted Charlie Weasley to work for me." Hermione grinned.

"You're determined to cause trouble within that family, aren't you?" Lucius chuckled.

"I'm just stirring the pot a little." Hermione shrugged. "A bit of disharmony means they're less likely to interfere in my plans. Before long the only Weasley's who'll have a problem with me are Ron and Ginny, and only then because they're friends with Harry and he won't let his hatred for me go."

"What makes you so sure he won't let go and move on with his life?" Lucius questioned.

"I was friends with him for seven years. Right from the beginning he hated my father for what he thought he'd done to his parents, and he hates me just for being his daughter." Hermione answered. "He's so blinkered, he couldn't even see the truth about his parent's deaths when it was splashed all over the papers. I know Harry, and nothing will change his opinion of me. As long as he's around he'll continue to rally against me."

"Why don't you do something about it?" Lucius questioned. "Why not kill him and have it over with?"

"I have seriously considered it, but I don't want to do that unless necessary." Hermione admitted. "At the minute he's still got support out there, even if it is dwindling daily, and his death might just work against me. I want to wait until he's got no support other than Ron and Ginny, then if he's still a problem, I'll deal with him. But until then I'm happy to laugh off his absurd claims."

"His claims aren't so absurd, though." Lucius pointed out with a laugh. "He's right about you."

"I know." Hermione smirked wickedly. "And that's what makes it all the more fun, making him look like a complete fool when he's telling the truth."


	3. Muggleborn Problems

**A/N - Thanks for all the faves/follows and reviews. I'm so pleased people are enjoying The Dark Lady trilogy, as it's such fun to write. In this chapter we get to see Draco's dark side. Enjoy!**

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Hermione was waiting in Lucius's study when the blond man returned from the Ministry. The meeting had been arranged the previous day, so Lucius wasn't the slightest bit surprised to find The Dark Lady in his study.

"Do you want a drink or anything?" Lucius asked, after the pair had exchanged greetings.

"I'm fine." Hermione replied. "I think Draco and I are going out when I'm finished here."

"I didn't realise you were going public already." Lucius commented.

"We're not." Hermione said. "Draco mentioned going to a cottage on the coast that belongs to Narcissa."

"Ah, yes." Lucius nodded, knowing exactly where Hermione was talking about. "It's very secluded and private. You'll like it."

"I'm sure I will." Hermione smiled. "Now let's get on. I take it you have the information I asked for."

"Yes." Lucius replied. Placing his briefcase on the desk he opened it and pulled out a small stack of parchment. "I don't think you're going to like this." He said, handing Hermione the parchment.

"Please say this isn't the list of muggleborns who registered with the Ministry." Hermione grimaced at the length of the list in her hands. It extended over several pages and was far longer than either she or Lucius had anticipated.

"I'm afraid so." Lucius sighed. "The list of those that either declined or have gone missing is twice that length though."

"What about Hogwarts?" She asked. "Have many signed up to continue their education?"

"At the minute, I think we have half a dozen." Lucius answered. "I'm not really expecting many more, considering how expensive it is."

"At least that's something we've got right. Hopefully the pricing will discourage more people from continuing on at Hogwarts." Hermione sighed. "However, I think we may have gone too easy on the conditions of the registration."

Hermione and Lucius had worked for a long time sorting out the muggleborn registration programme. While they wanted to make it unappealing for muggleborns to sign up, they also tried to make it sound reasonable. The hope was that most people would object to signing the registration and Lucius could argue that it was them being unreasonable and all the Ministry were doing was keeping tighter control of magical use by muggles. Unfortunately it looked as though they had veered too much towards making it sound reasonable.

"I'm not sure that was the problem." Lucius replied. "A decent portion of those who signed up have been in the wizarding world for years. A lot of them have families that they don't want to leave behind."

"I never really thought about that." Hermione frowned. "I had just planned to reduce the number of muggleborns that signed up to the register the old fashioned way."

"A spate of muggleborn deaths isn't going to look good either." Lucius warned. "Especially with what you want to achieve."

"Who said anything about the deaths being public knowledge?" Hermione questioned with a wicked smirk. "We're just going to persuade these muggles to return to where they belong. They can inform the Ministry they've changed their minds and our problems will be sorted."

"And what if they won't be persuaded?" Lucius asked. "What about the people with families? Their disappearances won't go unnoticed."

"We'll have to leave them where they are." Hermione answered. She wasn't happy about the plan, but the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself. "But for everyone else, they won't have a choice in the matter. If they won't leave peacefully then they'll have to be disposed of in another way. Either way, this list of muggleborns will soon be rapidly shrinking."

"You sound as though you have a plan." Lucius commented.

"I have a plan to delegate the problem." Hermione chuckled. "It's time your son earned his place at the top of my table. Being an exceptional lover doesn't earn him a place amongst my top Death Eaters."

"Let me know if you need any assistance, just in case Draco isn't up for the job." Lucius smirked as Hermione headed towards the door.

Hermione chuckled at Lucius's very obvious double meaning. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"You know where I am just in case." Lucius shrugged.

"Yes I do." Hermione replied. "Goodbye Lucius."

"Goodbye My Lady." Lucius called as Hermione left the room.

Shaking her head, Hermione left Lucius's study and made her way up to Draco's wing of the Manor. She found her boyfriend in his bedroom, sitting reading in a chair beside the open window.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon." Draco remarked, shutting his book and placing it on the windowsill. "I'll just grab by stuff and we can be off."

"I want to talk first." Hermione said, walking over to where Draco was sitting. "I have a job for you."

"A Death Eater job?" Draco asked with a grin. Since helping Hermione get the Death Eaters into school to kill Dumbledore he felt as though he hadn't really contributed much to the cause.

"Yes, a Death Eater job." Hermione replied, handing Draco the list of muggleborns she'd gotten off his father. "That is a list of people on the muggleborn registration programme."

"Bloody hell." Draco muttered, flicking through the list. "I didn't think it would be so popular. Who would want to have to sign up just to practice magic?"

"A lot of people apparently." Hermione complained. "That's why we need to do something about it, or technically you're going to do something about it."

"What exactly do you want me to do?" Draco asked.

"I want you to research everyone on that list and find out all about their lives. Unless they've got a family or would really be missed, you're going to convince them to leave the wizarding world behind." Hermione explained.

"What do you mean by convince?" Draco checked.

"That's entirely up to you." Hermione smirked. She had a feeling Draco would go for a more direct approach of getting rid of the problematic people, but as long as he covered his tracks she couldn't care less what he did. "The only thing I ask is for is that you ensure there's no comeback on us. You make it appear as though they just decided to return to the muggle world so there's no proof of anything suspicious going on. And do not target anyone who will be missed. We can try and deal with them at a later point, but for now it's too risky."

"I can do what you want." Draco nodded. "It will take time though. I'll have to move slowly so I don't arouse suspicion."

"That's fine." Hermione replied. "As long as you get rid of as many people as possible, I don't care how long it takes to do. It's a start, and hopefully one day there will be no more mudbloods in the wizarding world."

"I love it when you mention your plans for world domination." Draco chuckled as he stood up and pulled Hermione into his arms. "It's so sexy."

Draco leant down and pulled Hermione into a searing kiss. After a few minutes the pair separated, both breathing slightly heavily.

"I think we should go, before you get carried away with domination." Hermione chuckled.

"That sounds like fun." Draco smirked. "We might have to explore that tonight."

"I'm sure we can." Hermione said as Draco quickly packed a few things and gathered her bag that she'd dropped over before going down to talk with Lucius.

Grabbing onto Hermione, Draco then apparated them to the coast for a romantic night away.

**[][][][][]**

The following week Draco decided it was time to make a start on the muggleborn list. He'd decided to begin with people who'd only been in the wizarding world for a short time. Hopefully the shorter the time they'd been part of the wizarding world, the less connections they would have within it. Flicking through the list he spotted the name Justin Finch-Fletchley and decided to start with the boy he'd gone to school with. In school Draco had never actually had anything to do with Justin, considering he was both a mudblood and a Hufflepuff, meaning he had nothing going for him in Draco's eyes. A few discreet inquiries gave Draco his address and after locating the flat, he set out to pay a visit to the young man.

Draco arrived at Justin's flat at nearly midnight and it took him less than five minutes to disable his wards and erect a few of his own. The wards Draco erected prevented Justin from apparating away and limited his magic use. Taking care to make sure he wasn't spotted, Draco quietly made his way into Justin's flat. Justin hadn't even registered the wards being altered and when Draco entered the flat he could hear loud snores coming from one of the back rooms.

Draco silently crept into the bedroom and was relieved to find Justin alone. His research into Justin's life had shown he didn't have a regular girlfriend, but Draco knew that was no guarantee that he was sleeping alone. Blaise for example hadn't had a serious girlfriend in his life but since leaving school he very rarely slept alone, there was always some willing witch in his friend's bed.

Draco quietly made his way over to Justin's bedside and grabbed the wand that was sitting on the bedside table. Once the wand was in his possession he stood watching Justin for several minutes, before raising his own wand and setting off a loud bang, complete with red sparks. Justin immediately shot up in bed and his hand stretched out for his wand and began scrabbling around when he couldn't locate it.

"Looking for this?" Draco called, twirling Justin's wand in his hands.

"Who are you?" Justin questioned, squinting in the dark at the shadow beside his bed. "And what do you want?"

"I want you gone." Draco answered. Flicking his wand he lit up the room and smirked when Justin gasped at his identity.

"I'm not going anywhere." Justin stated. He was trying not to sound frightened but Draco could see the fear in his eyes.

"Yes, you are." Draco smirked. "Mudbloods like you have no place in our society. You're going to send a letter to the Ministry claiming you've changed your mind and you're returning to the muggle world."

"No." Justin shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not going back to the muggle world. I'm a wizard."

"You're a blight on our kind." Draco snarled. "Anyway, I said you were going to tell the Ministry you were returning to the muggle world, I didn't say that's what you were actually doing."

"What are you going to do with me?" Justin questioned.

Before Draco had a chance to answer, Justin threw back the covers on the bed and jumped up. Hoping he would catch Draco by surprise and get a good head start, he darted towards the bedroom door. Draco was momentarily taken by surprise, but he recovered fast enough to stop Justin as he was leaving the bedroom.

"Stupefy!" He called.

Justin fell to the floor with a crash before Draco walked over to him and hauled him to his feet. He threw Justin back onto the bed, before releasing the spell. Justin had barely managed to register what had happened before Draco had his wand pointing at him again.

"Imperio!"

Draco smirked as Justin quickly fell under the curse and submitted to his every desire. Draco ordered Justin to write to the Ministry, informing them that he was leaving the wizarding world behind. He also made Justin write to the landlord of the flat and hand in his notice. With the two letters written, Draco pocketed them to send the following day, before turning his attention back towards the other man.

"Now, what am I going to do with you?" He mused, releasing Justin from the Imperius curse.

"Please don't kill me." Justin begged. "I'll go, I promise you'll never see me again."

"I know that." Draco chuckled darkly. "Avada Kedavra!"

The green jet of light shot from Draco's wand and hit Justin before either one really had time to think about what was happening. Draco looked at the body, hardly able to believe what he'd just done. He'd always expected he would have to kill the vast majority of the mudbloods on Hermione's list, but until just now he hadn't know if he had it in him to kill. Obviously he did have it in him and luckily he was handling it really well, so far he hadn't had a bad reaction to what he'd just done.

Deciding it was best to just carry on before he thought too much about what he'd just done, Draco set about packing up Justin's flat. Summoning a few cases and boxes he cast charms on them to extend them and make them light weight. He then set about cleaning out the small flat, which took him a good couple of hours.

After double checking he hadn't missed anything and taking down his wards, Draco gathered all the boxes and cases. He also reluctantly grabbed hold of Justin's dead body and disappeared with a pop. Draco landed in an old abandoned farmyard, and dumped everything onto the cobbled floor. He then walked over to a nearby barn and pulled open the door. In the middle of the barn was a large freshly dug hole, just like he'd requested from his friend, Vincent Crabbe.

Satisfied with the work his friend had done, Draco began throwing Justin's belonging's into the hole. He then rolled Justin's body into the hole before magically covering it back up. Once the floor of the barn was back in place he sprinkled it with dirt and straw, making it look as though no-one had ever been there. Leaving the barn, he pulled the doors closed behind him and smiled triumphantly.

The chances of Justin being discovered were slim, but even if he was there would be nothing to link the body with the Death Eaters. Just the opposite in fact, considering the farm belonged to a distant relative of the Weasley family, so if any blame was going to be dished out it would fall on the Weasley's and the Order.

Taking one final look at the barn, Draco removed his wand and apparated home. Despite it being the early hours of the morning, Draco was in desperate need of a relaxing shower. Pulling the letter's Justin had wrote from his pocket he placed them on his desk, before removing his clothes and heading off for a nice warm shower. His first assignment had gone great and Draco knew he would enjoy eliminating mudbloods over the next few months.


	4. A Late Arrival

Hermione stretched languidly as she contemplated the fact she would have to get up and get dressed soon. She'd called a Death Eater meeting for that evening and she wanted to talk to Lucius beforehand.

"We're going to have to get up soon." She said to Draco, who was lying beside her.

The couple had spent the majority of their afternoon in bed, and if it wasn't for the meeting Hermione suspected they would have spent the rest of the evening there as well.

"Not just yet." Draco answered. "We've got a bit longer."

"Only a bit." Hermione said. "I want to talk to your father before the meeting, and I've got to apply my glamour charms."

"I thought you were revealing your identity tonight." Draco remarked.

"I am." Hermione nodded. "But I'll only drop the glamour charms for a few minutes. I'm just letting them know who I am, but The Dark Lady persona is still going to be in place."

"Speaking of which, now you're getting up and running with your business you're going to be spending most of your time as The Dark Lady. I was thinking it might be nice if you had somewhere where you could just be yourself." Draco said as he sat up. "I was wondering if you wanted to move in with me."

"You want me to move into the Manor?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"No." Draco shook his head. "I was thinking we could get somewhere just the two of us. The family company owns a few luxury penthouses, I thought we could use one of them until we got a place of our own."

"I like that idea." Hermione smiled.

The only places she every felt truly safe being herself were at home and in Draco's wing of the Manor. Even wandering about the rest of the Manor meant she had to wear her Dark Lady glamour charms as she never knew when Lucius or Narcissa would have a visitor. It would be really nice to have somewhere that she could be herself and not have to worry about people spotting her.

"Excellent." Draco grinned. "How about we celebrate?" He asked, reaching for his girlfriend.

"As tempting as that sounds, we have to get up." Hermione wriggled out of Draco's grasp and hopped out of bed. Chuckling at her pouting boyfriend, she leant back down and gave him a quick kiss. "We can celebrate later, I promise."

While Draco lay in bed watching Hermione, she pulled on her clothes and applied her Dark Lady glamour's. Five minutes later she was fully dressed, while Draco was still sprawled in bed.

"Don't be late." She warned her boyfriend as she said goodbye and headed downstairs to speak with Lucius.

Hermione found Lucius in his study, going over a bit of paperwork. Settling down opposite Lucius's desk, she waited for him to finish signing a few documents. When he was finished he placed his quill back onto his desk and looked up at Hermione.

"Are you all set for tonight?" He asked. He knew Hermione was nervous about revealing who she really was to the Death Eaters, her young age was especially something she worried could be a problem.

"I think so." Hermione replied. "It needs to be done, then we can all move on."

"Talking of moving on, how's your new project coming along?" Lucius asked.

"Good." Hermione nodded. "I've hired Vince and Greg to work for my company, and they're doing great. They're transforming the building into exactly what I want."

"What happens when the building is complete?" Lucius questioned. "No offence, but they're hardly likely to play a part in its new function."

"They're going to carry on doing exactly what they're currently doing." Hermione answered. "One building isn't all I plan on owning."

"Since you sorted Vince and Greg, do you have anything to do with Blaise and Theo, and their chosen career paths?" Lucius asked. "The pair of them have applied to be Aurors."

"I may have suggested it, but the final decision was theirs." Hermione said. "And speaking of Auror applications, have you heard anything from Harry and Ron?"

"Yes." Lucius nodded with a smirk. "Their applications were on my desk yesterday, along with letters of recommendation from two Aurors."

"Let's guess, Kingsley and Tonks."

"Exactly." Lucius said. "Anyway, I sent them a standard rejection letter but something tells me that isn't the end of it."

"Knowing them two, you're probably right." Hermione remarked. "Chances are they'll be banging on your door, demanding an explanation."

"Not this week they won't." Lucius snorted. "I'm leaving for Sweden tomorrow morning."

Lucius was going to Stockholm on Ministry business, and was taking Draco with him as he'd also heard of a small wizarding village in the north of the country that specialised in potions. According to his sources there was a chance of finding something that could help with Voldemort's magic. Despite her father insisting he wasn't bothered about regaining his magic, Hermione knew he was lost without it and she was determined to help him, even if she could only manage to return a small portion of his magic.

Hermione and Lucius spoke about Sweden for another few minutes, before they headed to the meeting. Arriving in the dining room, Hermione noticed that Draco's seat was still empty. Unimpressed with her boyfriend's lax behaviour, Hermione moved to the head of the table and began the meeting.

Hermione had just mentioned the large summer party for all the Death Eaters, and her smaller one for the select few, when Draco finally put in an appearance. The whole room fell silent as Draco walked in and made his way to his seat.

"No." Hermione called as he went to sit down. "You can sit down at the bottom of the table."

Draco gaped at Hermione for a few minutes, before skulking down to the bottom of the table. Hermione shook her head at her boyfriend, before returning her attention back to the meeting. After handing out invitations she announced it was time to show her Death Eaters who she truly was. Carefully Hermione removed her glamour charms, revealing her true identity. The vast majority of the Death Eaters didn't recognise her, but the ones with children who'd attended Hogwarts with her looked at her in surprise.

"You're Potter's mudblood friend." Parkinson declared. "I've seen your picture in the papers."

"That was all an act." Hermione said, as she briefly explained how she'd ended up posing as a muggleborn. After a few minutes, Hermione reapplied her glamour charms. "I revealed myself as a courtesy to you all, but this is what The Dark Lady looks like. You won't see the real me again. I also want to stress that no-one is to reveal who I really am."

"You can't seriously expect us to follow a teenage girl." Parkinson spat.

"I can and I do." Hermione retorted. "Does anyone have a problem with that?"

There was a few murmurs within the Death Eaters and Hermione suspected that a few people did actually have a problem with her age. Parkinson however seemed to be the only person brave enough, or stupid enough depending how you looked at it, to openly complain. He was still grumbling and making snide comments and Hermione knew she would have to deal with him quickly before he caused unrest amongst the Death Eaters.

"Parkinson, stand up." Hermione ordered.

Still grumbling Parkinson stood up and when Hermione told him so he made his way to the head of the table. Standing in front of The Dark Lady, his grumbling subsided and suddenly he looked extremely nervous.

"Maybe this will show you I'm not to be messed with." Hermione told the older wizard as she pointed her wand at him. "Crucio!"

Parkinson doubled over in pain and within minutes he was rolling on the floor, crying out for mercy. Eventually Hermione lifted the spell and told him to get his pathetic self up off the floor and to go and stand at the other side of the room to her.

"Let that be a lesson to you all. I may just be a young girl, but I'm deadly serious about running the Death Eaters." Hermione addressed the entire group. "I'm sure you all remember what happened to Bellatrix, and I promise what happened to her will be tame in comparison to what will happen to anyone else who dares to betray me."

Hermione watched as the Death Eaters took in what she was saying. Memories of what happened to Bellatrix were still very fresh in people's minds and she suspected the fact she'd just tortured Parkinson and had dismissed Draco so coldly earlier, proved she wasn't someone to mess with.

"So does anyone else have a problem with my age?" She asked, looking around the room. "Good." She smiled, when everyone stayed silent.

After a few more bits of business she dismissed the Death Eaters, but called for Lavender's father to stay behind. Hermione noticed the flicker of apprehension in Mr Brown's eyes as she asked him to stay behind. She also noticed that Draco bolted out of the room as quickly as he could, not even bothering to glance in her direction.

"Don't look so worried." Hermione said to Mr Brown. "I just want to ask you a favour. I want you to bring Lavender to the smaller Death Eater gathering."

"Lavender?" Mr Brown looked at Hermione in total shock. "She doesn't even know I'm part of this. She'll not approve."

"I think you might be surprised." Hermione replied. "I was friends with her in school, and she's not as opposed to my ideas as you would think. Give her the chance, I think her reaction will surprise you."

Over the last couple of years, Hermione had watched as Lavender proved that she wasn't against her or what she stood for. Hermione was hoping that speaking to her as The Dark Lady would provide her with another ally amongst the Order. Even though Lavender was still with Ron in the last few months of school she had struck up a friendship with Gregory Goyle and Hermione was also hoping to help that blossom into more than friendship.

"I'll try my best to bring Lavender along, My Lady." Mr Brown said with a respectful nod.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled at Mr Brown, before dismissing him.

Once Mr Brown had gone, Hermione and Lucius were left alone. Talking about what had transpired they made their way to Lucius's study. Once there Hermione removed her glamour charms and returned to normal.

"Well, I best be getting home." Hermione said.

"You're leaving?" Lucius asked, surprised. "I thought you would be going to deal with Draco, and find out why he was late."

"I know why he was late." Hermione snorted. "The lazy bugger couldn't be bothered to get out of bed. I managed to get up and get dressed, so he should have been able to do the same. I'm not going to let him get away with sauntering into meetings late, just because we're a couple."

"He should know better, I'm sorry." Lucius said, shaking his head at his son.

"It's not your fault, it's his." Hermione replied. "And he has to learn his actions have consequences."

**[][][][][]**

Draco was still simmering with anger when he headed down for breakfast the following day. Deep down he knew he never should have showed up to the meeting late, but by the time he'd finally gotten out of bed and had a shower he was pressed for time and getting dressed had caused him to be late. Although he hadn't for one minute expected Hermione to be so off with him. Getting relegated to the bottom of the table and dismissed so coldly left his ego severely bruised.

Of course it hadn't helped that Hermione hadn't even come to see him after the meeting. He'd waited for her for over an hour before he realised his girlfriend wasn't going to show up. He just hoped he hadn't blown the entire relationship, because he'd been cocky enough to think he could get away with entering the meeting late because he was sleeping with The Dark Lady and she had mentioned earlier how pleased she was with how efficiently he was dealing with the mudbloods.

"I wasn't sure if we would see you this morning." Lucius commented when Draco entered the breakfast room. "Not after that little stunt you pulled last night."

"What stunt?" Narcissa asked.

"He turned up late for the meeting." Lucius informed his wife. "Hermione had no choice but to make him sit at the bottom of the table."

"She had a choice, she could have let it go." Draco muttered, even though he knew that she couldn't let him get away with turning up late without losing face with the Death Eaters.

"Don't be silly, Draco, of course she couldn't let it go." Lucius told his son. "You put her in a really awkward position last night. I expected better from you."

"I didn't mean to." Draco said quietly.

"Next time, make sure you're on time." Lucius said. "Don't think for one minute that Hermione will cut you some slack because you're together."

"I know, I was an idiot." Draco admitted. "I'll make it up to her when we return from Sweden."

"Actually you're not coming." Lucius said, placing his cutlery down and finishing his cup of tea.

"What do you mean, I'm not going?" Draco glared at his father. "You can't just change your mind about me coming."

"I didn't, Hermione did." Lucius replied. "She doesn't want you to accompany me and since it was her idea that you came with me, I wasn't going to argue."

"Maybe that will teach you not to be so complacent in future." Narcissa said. "You can't rely on your relationship with Hermione to give you a free ride to do what you want."

"Maybe you could deal with a few more mudbloods." Lucius suggested. "That might be a start in getting back in her good books."

Despite knowing his parents were right, Draco frowned at them as he abruptly stood up and stormed out of the room leaving his half eaten breakfast behind. Yes, he'd been wrong to show up late the previous evening, but in his opinion it was unfair of Hermione to stop him accompanying Lucius to Sweden. Now he would spend the majority of his time at work, which he actually enjoyed, but he'd been looking forward to heading off to Sweden and watching first-hand how his father dealt with foreign wizards. He could have learnt so much from the trip, but now he was stuck at home.


	5. Avoidance

It had been five days since the Death Eater meeting and Hermione still hadn't laid eyes on her boyfriend. She wasn't surprised that he didn't come and see her immediately, but she was surprised he didn't pay her a visit after Lucius had went abroad and he was left behind. In those five days she had spoken to Vince and Greg and both of them had remarked that Draco was in a foul mood, and was sulking about what had happened at the meeting. Part of Hermione wanted to go and make things right between them, but she knew he had been the one in the wrong and she was far too stubborn to back down and make the first move. Unfortunately Draco was every bit as stubborn as her and it didn't look as though he was going to make the first move either.

Despite her boyfriend's lack of contact, Hermione was still getting ready to head to Malfoy Manor. Lucius wasn't due back for another couple of days, but it was Narcissa she was going to see. Since Narcissa had reassured her the Manor would be empty apart from her and Draco, Hermione decided to forgo her Dark Lady guise. As much as she was becoming increasingly comfortable with the glamour charms, she preferred to just be herself.

When Hermione arrived at the Manor, Narcissa was waiting for her and ushered her into the front room. The two witches settled down on the sofa and Narcissa called for an elf to bring them some tea. Hermione waited until the tea had been served and the elf had left the room before she asked about Draco.

"I'm afraid he went out." Narcissa admitted with a sigh. "He did know you were coming, but he insisted on keeping to his original plans."

Hermione couldn't help but be hurt that Draco had known she was coming but had still chosen to go out. It was one thing not to seek her out and talk to her, but now it looked as though he'd progressed to actually avoiding her. She just hoped they could work things out, even if she had to make the first move.

"He'll come round." Narcissa said, as if reading Hermione's mind. "He's just too stubborn for his own good. But I'm confident the pair and you can work things out."

"I'm sure we can." Hermione replied, not wanting Narcissa to see how worried she really was. "Anyway, we should get on with the real reason I'm here."

"I assumed visiting me was a pretext to get Draco to talk to you." Narcissa remarked.

"No, I genuinely want to talk to you about something." Hermione said. "What do you know about my plans for the future?"

"Lucius told me about the school, but other than that I have no idea." Narcissa replied.

"What do you think about the idea of a school?" Hermione asked. She wasn't surprised that Narcissa knew about the school as she'd given Lucius permission to discuss it with his wife.

"I think it's an excellent idea." Narcissa said. "I wish there had been something like that when Draco was younger, or even when I was a child for that matter."

Hermione's plan was to open a school for wizarding children to attend before they went to Hogwarts. Currently in the wizarding world a child's education before Hogwarts was solely down to their parents, there was nothing official to help children learn at a young age. Working with Lucius, she was going to create a curriculum to support what was learnt at Hogwarts and to make the first year of attending the school easier on the children. Starting school at eleven was hardly practical in Hermione's opinion and she thought muggles had the right idea in starting their children's education at a much younger age.

"How would you like to be headmistress of the school?" Hermione asked, pleased Narcissa was liking her plans.

"Me?" Narcissa's eyes widened and she looked at Hermione in complete shock. "I'm not qualified, or anything."

"You had perfect exam results from your time at Hogwarts, and you've had practical experience at teaching a young wizarding child." Hermione replied. "You did a brilliant job at educating Draco before he started Hogwarts, and I think you'd be the perfect person to run my school."

"Do you really think I could handle a job like that?" Narcissa questioned.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "I wouldn't be offering it to you unless I thought you could do it. I suppose the real question is, are you interested?"

"Honestly, I'm a bit overwhelmed but definitely interested." Narcissa replied. "If there had been anything like this when I first left school, I would have jumped at the idea of teaching. I did consider applying for a job at Hogwarts, but then I got pregnant with Draco and decided to concentrate my energies on him, and making sure he had a good education before he went to school."

"So, is that a yes?" Hermione asked.

"I think it is." Narcissa grinned. "Providing Lucius has no objections." She added seriously. "I'm sure it's considered old fashioned these days to consult your husband on something like this, but I respect his opinion and if he isn't happy then I won't be able to take the job."

"I understand, Narcissa." Hermione reassured the older witch. "I haven't spoken to Lucius about this, I wanted to talk to you first, but hopefully he'll be okay with it. I'm more than happy to arrange things so that you're still free to support him in his role as Minister of Magic."

"Since we can't do anything until Lucius returns, why don't you tell me about the plans you do have in place." Narcissa suggested. She was confident her husband would support her, but she wasn't committing herself until she was completely sure. "Do you have any more staff in mind?"

"A couple." Hermione answered. "But I wanted to get my headmistress first."

"You haven't gotten me yet." Narcissa chuckled.

"I'm quietly confident." Hermione replied. While she would never force Lucius to give his approval to her hiring Narcissa, she was confident he wouldn't have any problems with the situation.

Pulling a file from her bag, Hermione placed it on the table and pulled out a few pictures of the building that she was currently transforming. While it was still undergoing alterations, she had enough sketches to accompany the pictures to give Narcissa an idea of what she was aiming for. She also had other ideas regarding the school, which she happily ran past Narcissa. Narcissa listened intently and suggested a few alterations to Hermione's plans when she felt something could be improved upon.

As they talked Narcissa found herself hoping that Lucius didn't have any problems with her taking the job. The more she found out about Hermione's plans, the more she wanted to be involved. Narcissa knew the main reason Hermione was setting up the school was as a way to gain power in the wizarding world, but she also knew the young witch's heart was in the right place and she was also giving something really important to the wizarding community.

**[][][][][]**

Draco sat in the corner, nursing his firewhisky, barely aware of what his friends were talking about. His mind was firmly on Hermione and the fact he'd deliberately left the Manor when he knew she would be there. He knew he should have stuck around and spoken to her, but the truth was, it was easier to avoid her than face up to the fact he might have ruined their entire relationship. His actions at the Death Eater meeting had been wrong and he couldn't really blame Hermione for her reaction, in fact looking back on the incident he thought he'd gotten off lightly.

"Have you apologised to Hermione yet?" Blaise asked, dragging Draco out of his thoughts.

Draco shook his head, not bothering to look up from his glass. He didn't worry about Blaise using Hermione's name as they were in a pub in Knockturn Alley called The Dark Mark, which catered exclusively for Death Eaters. Unless you had the dark mark you couldn't see the pub, let alone gain entry to it. Each table also had a privacy spell cast on it, so even though there was plenty of noise in the pub it was just general noise and conversation from those not sitting at tables, but you couldn't actually make out what anyone on another table was saying unless you went over and joined them.

"Why not?" Theo questioned. "In your shoes, the first thing I would have done was apologised. It's never a good thing to have your girlfriend mad at you, especially if she's The Dark Lady and has a wicked temper."

"I know I should have apologised right away, but I didn't and now it might be too late." Draco admitted.

"It's never too late to apologise." Theo said wisely.

"What if it is, though?" Draco sighed, taking a large gulp of his firewhisky. "What if I've ruined everything?"

"No offence, mate, but maybe you should have thought about that before turning up late for a meeting." Blaise remarked. "I couldn't believe what you did, you were asking for trouble."

"Yeah, she was never going to let you get away with it." Theo added. "You risked making her look soft, and she never would have let that happen."

"I just wasn't thinking." Draco muttered.

"You just got too cocky because you're shagging the boss." Blaise pointed out.

"I might not be for much longer." Draco retorted. "We haven't even spoken since the meeting."

"Are you scared of her?" Theo teased.

"Would you be in my shoes?" Draco threw back, not answering his friend's question.

"Yes." Theo easily admitted. "Don't get me wrong, I really like her, but she's bloody scary. I wouldn't like to be the one who made her mad."

"You know Draco, if she's too much for you, I would be more than happy to take you off your hands." Blaise grinned at his friend. "I'm sure I can handle The Dark Lady just fine."

"You keep your hands to yourself, Zabini." Draco growled menacingly. "Hermione is mine."

"Should you really be saying she's yours?" Theo questioned. "I don't think she would like being regarded as a possession."

"For Merlin's sake Theo, grow a backbone." Blaise snorted. "It's not as if she's here and can hear us, it's just some friendly banter between mates. I'm sure Draco would never dream of calling her 'his' in front of her."

Draco's mouth twitched into a small smile as he remembered all the times he had done just that. Hermione always loved it when he got dominant and staked his claim on her, not that he would dream of telling his friends that. While some references to their private life would obviously emerge while he was with his friends, he was very careful not to say anything that might undermine her formidable reputation. Draco doubted that Hermione would be happy if he told his friends that in the bedroom she liked nothing better than to give him full control and would willingly submit to anything he wanted.

"I think I'm going to be going." Draco announced as he stood up. All this talk of Hermione made him realise it was time to swallow his pride and apologise. He missed his girlfriend and didn't want to spend another night alone, wishing she was lying next to him.

"Good luck." Blaise called as Draco grabbed his jacket and left the pub.

Once outside Draco apparated home, hoping Hermione was still visiting his mother. When he found Narcissa just leaving the front room, he suspected he'd missed his chance and Hermione had already left.

"You're back. You've missed Hermione, if you're interested." Narcissa remarked, confirming Draco's suspicions.

"Of course I'm interested." Draco replied. "That's why I came home, so I could talk to her."

"You should have stayed in and spoken to her." Narcissa retorted unsympathetically. "You were the one who went rushing off to the pub rather than stay and face up to your mistakes."

"I know, I was an idiot." Draco conceded.

"Yes, you were." Narcissa agreed. More often than not she stuck by Draco regardless to what he'd done, but it was time he started to face up to things when he made a mistake.

"Did she ask about me?" Draco questioned quietly.

"Yes." Narcissa nodded. "But I think she was quite hurt when she found out you'd gone out despite the fact she was coming over."

"You told her that?" Draco grimaced. "Couldn't you have just said I'd already left and didn't know about her plans?"

"I'm not going to lie for you, Draco." Narcissa told her son. "This is your mess, and it's up to you to fix it."

"I know." Draco muttered sadly. "But I don't know how."

"I would start by going to see Hermione, and apologise." Narcissa replied kindly. "I'm sure if the pair of you talk things through, you'll be as good as ever."

Narcissa gave Draco a quick peck on the cheek and a hug, before leaving him standing in the hallway contemplating her words. Draco decided his mother was right, he needed to have a good talk with Hermione. However it was getting late and he'd had a fair bit to drink so maybe right now wasn't the best time for a serious discussion. As he headed off to bed, Draco vowed to go and see Hermione the following day and they would sort everything out.


	6. Making Up

When Draco got up he fully intended on going to see Hermione, but as he showered and got dressed he began having second thoughts. He still wanted to make things right with his girlfriend, but suddenly the idea of going to her house was looking less than appealing. Draco knew for a fact her mother had witnessed what had happened at the meeting and there was a very real chance that Voldemort also knew what had occurred. Magic or not, he had no desire to bump into Voldemort after everything that happened this past week.

By mid-morning Draco was debating if he should send Hermione an owl asking her to visit him, when his father unexpectedly arrived home. Lucius hadn't been due to return home for a few days so Draco was rather surprised to see his father. Lucius explained to Draco and Narcissa that his meetings had been quicker than expected, meaning he could return home a few days earlier.

"Have you sorted things with Hermione?" Lucius asked his son, as he sent an owl off to the witch in question.

"Not exactly." Draco muttered in response.

"What does not exactly mean?" Lucius demanded.

"It means he's been skulking around the Manor, refusing to sort things out." Narcissa remarked.

"That's what I was going to do today." Draco retorted sharply.

"What's stopped you?" Lucius questioned.

"I didn't want to just show up at her house." Draco admitted. "We haven't spoken in a week and I don't know how mad she is at me."

"More like you're worried about her father." Lucius chuckled. "Luckily for you, I've just sent a note to Hermione asking her to visit. When she's here, I suggest you sort things out."

"I will." Draco promised, relieved that he didn't have to face The Dark Lord. He did however have to face The Dark Lady and that was nerve wracking enough.

For the rest of the morning Draco impatiently waited for Hermione to arrive. When she did arrive, shortly after lunch, she flooed directly into Lucius's study. Lucius promised Draco he would let Hermione know he was waiting, before disappearing into his study to converse with The Dark Lady. All Draco could do then was wait outside Lucius's study, and hope Hermione stuck around long enough for them to talk.

After nearly an hour Draco was beginning to think Hermione must have left and Lucius was just delaying in giving him the bad news. However until he knew for sure Hermione had left he remained in his seat in the hallway. Eventually his patience paid off and the door opened, revealing Hermione.

"Lucius mentioned you wanted to talk." She said, her expression totally unreadable.

"I do." Draco responded as he stood up. "Do you want to take a walk?"

"Why not, it's a lovely day." Hermione replied.

Draco led the way outside and the pair silently wandered across the vast lawn, until they reached the rose maze. It wasn't until the pair were making their way slowly through the maze that Draco finally broke the silence that had descended between them.

"Did father's trip provide you with anything to help your father?"

"I'm not sure. Lucius did speak with a wizard that thinks he might be able to brew a potion that could help, but it'll take a few months to gather the ingredients and make it." Hermione replied.

"Hopefully it will work though." Draco said.

"Hopefully." Hermione agreed as she stopped walking and turned to her boyfriend. "I'm hoping this wasn't the reason you wanted to talk. You could have asked me this back at the house, or you could even have asked Lucius."

"I wanted to talk about last week." Draco said quietly. "Or more accurately, I want to apologise."

"What exactly are you apologising for?" Hermione questioned as they started to walk again. "Being late to the meeting, or your behaviour since then?"

"Both." Draco sighed. It didn't look as though Hermione was going to make apologising easy on him, not that he could blame her after the foolish way he'd been behaving this past week. "I know I shouldn't have been late, and I also know I should have spoken to you sooner."

"That's two things we can both agree on." Hermione retorted.

Silence again fell between them as they reached the middle of the maze. Hermione immediately sat down on the bench and gestured for Draco to join her. For a while the pair sat in silence, watching the fish swimming in the lake.

"You know this is never going to work, if you can't accept I'm in charge and our relationship doesn't affect your place as a Death Eater." Hermione eventually said.

"I know that." Draco replied. "I know I don't get special privileges."

"Do you?" Hermione questioned, looking at her boyfriend. "Because last week it felt like you thought you were justified to be late because of our relationship."

"I was an idiot." Draco mumbled unhappily. "I knew I was going to be late, but I stupidly thought it wouldn't matter. I knew the second I entered the dining room that I'd made a huge mistake."

"Yes, you did." Hermione replied.

"I won't be doing it again." Draco reassured Hermione. "I promise I will never put you in that position again."

"No, you won't." Hermione stated. "This relationship will never work if things like last week are going to keep happening."

"Are you ending things?" Draco asked, looking slightly panicked at the thought of losing Hermione.

"I don't want to, but I will if you can't cope with who I am." Hermione replied. "Our relationship is entirely separate to the Death Eaters, and I need to know you realise that. You don't have a decent position at the table because we're sleeping together, you have it because you've earned it. I don't want to have to keep pushing you down the pecking order because you can't separate our private lives from other matters."

"I know I've screwed up, Hermione." Draco told his girlfriend. "But it was a one-time thing, it won't happen again."

"It better not." Hermione retorted sharply. "I mean it Draco, this can't happen again." She added, her tone softening slightly.

"And it won't, I'll be a good little Death Eater from now on." He said, smiling impishly at Hermione.

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at her boyfriend. "You're forgiven, let's try and move on."

"Does this mean we can go back to discussing moving in together?" Draco questioned, unsure if he was pressing his luck in mentioning their last conversation.

"Is it something you still want to do?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Draco replied easily, before frowning at the thought that Hermione maybe wasn't as keen on the idea any more. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"I still want to do it, but I need to know you're sure." Hermione replied. "If we're living together you'll not be able to avoid me for a week."

"I'm sorry about that." Draco muttered, his cheeks colouring in embarrassment as he thought about what an idiot he'd been.

"Why did you avoid me?" Hermione asked. "I expected it in the beginning, but I have to admit it hurt yesterday when Narcissa said you went out despite knowing I was coming over."

"I was worried you would end things." Draco admitted quietly. "I knew I'd messed up, and I was frightened that it would spell the end of our relationship. I don't want to lose you, Hermione. I love you."

"I love you too." Hermione smiled, taking hold of Draco's hand. "But this can't be how we deal with our problems. We'll only last a few months if we both bury our heads in the sand and refuse to speak to one another."

"We? Are you implying you were doing the same?"

"Of course I was." Hermione replied with a small laugh. "I could have come to see you anytime, I could have even waited for you last night. But instead I chose to be stubborn, and waited for you to make the first move. Just because you were in the wrong originally, doesn't mean I had to wait for you to fix things. I could have spoken to you days ago, no doubt saving us both a lot of worrying."

"I guess we both have a lot to learn about being in a serious relationship." Draco said.

"We do, but I'm sure we can learn together." Hermione replied, sliding across the bench and leaning her head on Draco's shoulder.

Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist, and the couple sat in silence for a while. They knew they had both been at fault, albeit Draco more so, and they also knew if their relationship was going to work they would have to communicate better. They would also have to make sure they learnt how to separate their personas as The Dark Lady and her faithful Death Eater from themselves as a couple.

"Would you really have just walked away from me if I hadn't been able to accept that you're the boss?" Draco asked after a few minutes.

"I would have had to." Hermione replied. "It would have been the toughest thing I'd ever had to do and it would have broken my heart, but I would have done it. Being The Dark Lady is my destiny, and I never could have walked away from my father's legacy. Of course, you could have left the Death Eaters, but that would have only created more problems and our relationship would have broken down anyway."

"I'm sorry, I ever gave you reason to doubt me." Draco said. "I've always accepted you were the boss and I would get no special treatment, so I don't know why I was so arrogant as to walk in late and expect you to accept it."

"Being a smug, cocky git is who you are." Hermione said, looking up at Draco. "And as long as you remember your place within the Death Eaters and who's actually the boss, you can be as cocky as you like."

Draco laughed, before lowering his lips to Hermione's. It felt so good to have Hermione back in his arms and Draco savoured every second of the kiss. One gentle kiss quickly turned into a second one and within minutes the kissing had become more heated, with wandering hands added to the equation.

"We need to go inside." Hermione gasped, as Draco's hand slipped under her top and made its way to her bra covered chest.

"There's no-one out here to see." Draco muttered, barely lifting his lips from Hermione's neck.

"What if someone comes along?" Hermione asked.

"They won't." Draco stated confidently, as he pulled Hermione onto his lap.

"You're such a bad influence." Hermione giggled as she rolled her hips against Draco, causing the blond to let out a small groan.

"And don't you just love it." Draco grinned back at Hermione as his hand trailed up her leg and under her skirt.

Hermione's reply was cut short when Draco suddenly tore her lacy underwear away from her body. Hermione watched open mouthed as her boyfriend dropped the ripped material onto the floor without a second glance.

"I liked those." She protested.

"I like them better where they are, away from your body." Draco replied, retuning his hand under her skirt and immediately seeking out her exposed flesh.

Hermione let out a loud moan and threw her head back in pleasure as Draco's fingers danced expertly around her lower area. Regaining her focus, Hermione gave Draco a heated kiss before raising herself off him. Draco pouted and went to settle her back on his lap, but Hermione refused to be moved.

"Stop trying to take control." Hermione told her boyfriend, giving him another kiss. "Just sit back and enjoy yourself."

Draco opened his mouth to protest, but he soon shut it again when Hermione's fingers got to work on his belt and trouser zipper. With well-practised movements Hermione soon had Draco's trousers open and pulled down enough to release the part of him she needed. Grinning at her boyfriend, Hermione braced herself on his shoulders as she lowered herself onto him.

"We should fight more often if this is the end result." Draco muttered as Hermione settled herself on his lap.

"I'm sure we can do this without having to fight first." Hermione chuckled as she began to move atop of her boyfriend.

"Which part?" Draco asked as his hands dropped to Hermione's hips to help her movements. "You being in charge, or being outside where anyone could see us?"

"Whichever turns you on the most." Hermione panted.

"That would be both." Draco responded with a low grunt as Hermione picked up the pace.

Hermione grinned in response and pressed her lips firmly against Draco's. Draco easily took control of the kiss and deepened it as their bodies continued to move effortlessly together. Eventually their need for air ended the kiss and Draco immediately set about nuzzling at Hermione's neck. As he did so, one of his hands left Hermione's hip and snuck back under her skirt.

With Draco's lips nibbling at a sensitive spot at the base of her neck and his fingers teasing her underneath her skirt, Hermione's movements became much more ragged as her orgasm rapidly approached. With a loud scream of Draco's name, Hermione suddenly climaxed. Hermione pulsing around him finished Draco off and holding tightly onto his girlfriend he followed her over the edge.

"Yeah, we're definitely doing that again." Hermione mumbled as she regained her focus.

Draco chuckled as they reluctantly separated and began tidying themselves up. Hermione picked her torn underwear up off the floor but instead of fixing them she stuffed them in Draco's pocket.

"Are you seriously going back inside with no underwear on?" Draco asked in surprise.

"My skirt is long enough to cover everything." Hermione replied, smoothing down her skirt that stopped just above her knee. "So unless your parents are going to be on the floor, looking up my skirt they won't even know."

"Unless they heard you." Draco joked as they set off back through the maze. "You were rather loud."

"Was I really that loud?" Hermione froze, suddenly wary about venturing any further.

"It was a joke, Hermione." Draco chuckled, taking hold of her hand and continuing to head back to the Manor. "Even you're not loud enough for your screams to carry back to the Manor."

"I hope you're right." Hermione muttered. "It'll be so embarrassing if your parents know what's just happened."

When they got back to the Manor if Lucius and Narcissa had any idea what had happened in the maze they hid it well. Draco's parents were just happy they had sorted things out and when a mention was made of the couple moving in together, Narcissa announced they would have to have a celebratory meal with Hermione's parents. Hermione promised Narcissa she would arrange something with her parents as soon as possible, before heading home to tell her parents everything was okay with her and Draco.

Hermione knew their relationship still had the potential to go disastrously wrong, but she was confident that if they talked to each other and never had a repeat of this last week that they would be fine. They were both determined to make things work and stay together and both Hermione and Draco were used to getting what they wanted, meaning they wouldn't give up on their relationship without a fight.


	7. Rejection

When Lucius returned to his office after his trip to Sweden he was dismayed, but not all together surprised, to find his first appointment of the afternoon was with Harry and Ron. After grumbling to himself over why he had an appointment with the two young wizards, Lucius sent for Percy. Part of Percy's job was to deal with his appointments, so he would be able to explain the meeting.

"They wanted to know why they were rejected from the Auror programme." Percy explained, when Lucius questioned him about the appointment.

"I thought their letter explained everything." Lucius retorted.

"It did, but they weren't happy." Percy sighed. "They want a chance to put their case to you in person."

"It won't change anything, they're still not qualified for the training programme." Lucius replied.

"I told them that, but they won't listen." Percy said. "Mind you, it doesn't help that they have Kingsley and Tonks encouraging them to take things further. They've got them convinced they're good enough to be Aurors."

"It looks like I'll have to have a word with those two." Lucius muttered.

"Do you want me to set something up?" Percy inquired, eager to get back in Lucius's good books.

"No, I'll speak to them when I have a few minutes to spare." Lucius replied as he settled down at his desk.

"What do you want me to do about the appointment this afternoon?" Percy asked. "Should I cancel it?"

"No, I'll see them." Lucius smirked at the prospect of putting the two young wizards in their places. "Now, sit down and bring me up to date with what's being happening in my absence."

For the rest of the morning Lucius caught up with what had been happening and made a start at clearing his desk of the paperwork that had stacked up in his absence. He didn't give Harry and Ron a second thought until he returned from his lunch and found the pair sitting in his outer office.

"Your first appointment is here, Mr Malfoy." Percy said in greeting.

"So I see." Lucius glanced over at the two young wizards, before returning his attention to Percy. "Give me five minutes then send them in."

Lucius used the five minutes to remove his outdoor cloak and settle himself at his desk. By the time Percy showed Harry and Ron into the room, Lucius was sitting waiting for them, a fake smile already on his lips.

"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, what can I do you for?" Lucius asked as the pair settled themselves in front of his desk.

"We want an answer as to why we've been rejected from the Auror programme." Harry began, pulling out his letter and slamming it onto the Minister's desk. "We're the perfect people to be Aurors."

"Unlike Zabini and Nott, who both got accepted." Ron added bitterly.

"How do you know who got accepted to the programme?" Lucius questioned, although he knew full well where the two wizards were getting their information from.

"That doesn't matter." Harry replied, not wanting to get Kingsley and Tonks into trouble. "What matters is that they got in and we didn't."

"As your letter's clearly explain, neither of you possess the correct qualifications to be admitted to the programme." Lucius answered. "Mr Nott and Mr Zabini, do however have all the correct exams marks."

"But we have the backing of two Auror's." Ron argued. "Surely that counts for something."

"Not anymore." Lucius said with a shake of his head. "These days you actually have to be qualified to hold a position at the Ministry, and I'm afraid neither of you are qualified enough to get a place on the Auror training programme. I can give you a list of jobs within the Law Enforcement Department that you are qualified for, if that's what you want."

"No, we want to be Auror's." Harry insisted.

"I can't help you there, unless you manage to get yourselves the correct qualifications." Lucius replied. "If you did have the correct qualifications then I have no problem with entering you onto the training programme."

"What qualifications are we missing?" Harry asked.

Lucius found the files he had on his desk in preparation for the meeting and searched for the information he required. "Well to begin, neither of you have the relevant potions qualification. A few more of your results are borderline with what we would accept, but Potions is your main problem."

"So if we can achieve our N.E.W.T's in Potions, you'll admit us to the programme." Harry clarified.

"As long as it's a passing grade, then yes." Lucius replied. "But looking at your O.W.L result's it's not looking promising."

"We had bad marks because Snape hated us." Ron protested.

"If you say so." Lucius smirked at the redhead. "Now, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Nope, we'll just head back to school and get our Potions qualifications." Harry answered. "Then we'll be back and re-applying to the Auror programme."

"If that's what you want to do, I have the relevant paperwork here." Lucius said, getting up and searching through a nearby filing cabinet. Finding the file he wanted he returned to his desk and began searching through it in order to find the paperwork Harry and Ron needed.

"What paperwork do we need to do?" Harry asked.

"Just a few enrolment forms." Lucius replied, finally finding the form he wanted. "Here it is, Potions N.E.W.T's. You can either take two years to complete the exams, or how we recommend is to take both sixth and seventh year together. As all you want is your Potions qualification, you only take the two Potions classes and concentrate all your energies on them."

"Two different sets of Potions lessons, that sounds tough." Ron complained.

"I'm afraid, it's what you need to do if you want to take your exams." Lucius replied. "As I'm sure you remember work from your last two years was vital to your final exams."

"We'll manage the two classes." Harry said. He really didn't think they could cope with two sets of Potions work, but he wasn't admitting that to Lucius Malfoy. "Just give us the forms and we'll be out of your hair."

"These are your standard enrolment forms, where you fill in what lessons you plan on taking." Lucius said, handing two copies of the first forms over to the boys before producing another set and handing them over as well. "And those are your fees, which will need to be paid up front."

"Fees?" Ron yelled as he snatched one of the forms off the desk. "You expect us to pay to go back to school?"

"Of course." Lucius nodded. "You had seven years of free education, during which you were given the opportunity to get these qualifications. Since you didn't bother, you now have to pay for the privilege of getting a second chance. Running Hogwarts is not cheap, and we need to start making the place more cost effective."

"Cost effective, this is a bloody rip-off." Ron stormed, turning red as he read the form regarding the fees. "You expect us to pay over a thousand galleons to return for one lesson."

"Firstly, Potions is the most expensive subject to teach. Unlike most of the core subjects, it requires a lot of extras, like the ingredients for potions. And secondly, you're also paying a supplement for your sleeping quarters and food." Lucius answered.

"How much would it knock off if we lived off school premises and just attended lessons?" Harry questioned.

"I'd have to do some working out, but it wouldn't be much." Lucius answered.

"How can you justify this?" Harry demanded. "You can't charge people for their education. You do this to muggleborns as well, and I bet they have to pay even more because they're taking more subjects."

"Ministry policy is none of your business." Lucius sneered at the two wizards. "But it's people like your friend Miss Granger, that's caused us to make these changes."

"What's Hermione got to do with anything?" Ron questioned.

"She had seven years of the finest education, then she just abandoned the wizarding world without giving anything back. She should be here, repaying the wizarding community for subsidising her education. Instead she's left the country, never to be seen again."

"She only left because of your precious muggleborn registration programme." Harry retorted. "She didn't want to register, just so she could be a witch."

"That's her prerogative, but in my opinion she made the wrong choice." Lucius replied. "The programme is to monitor how effective muggleborns are to our community, and your Miss Granger would have been a massive boost to muggleborns."

"What do you mean, she would have been a boost?" Ron questioned.

"She was clever enough to do any job she wanted, and she had all the right qualifications to apply for anything. She could have been a shining star for muggleborns and everyone who protested the idea of a registration could have held her up as an example of why muggleborns are a vital part of society." Lucius answered. Taking pleasure in the shocked faces of the two wizards sitting opposite him, he decided to stick the knife in a bit further. "Instead I get to use her as the perfect example of why muggleborns need to be monitored in our world. There was a girl with the perfect exam results, who genuinely would have been an asset in our world, ran off as soon as she finished school. The perfect example of why muggleborns shouldn't be allowed to practice magic."

"It's still your fault she left." Ron grumbled, albeit slightly quieter after Lucius's speech. "She would have stuck around without your muggleborn registration programme."

"As I've said, registering on the programme really wouldn't have affected her at all." Lucius responded with a shrug. "She wouldn't have had a problem getting a job, either in the Ministry or elsewhere. Maybe you should take a better look at what the programme is about before casting aspersions. Now, shall we return to the matter in hand? Do you wish to register to go back to Hogwarts?"

"We need time to think." Harry muttered.

"That's fine." Lucius nodded. "Last applications have to be in by the end of the second week of August, and don't forget your fees need to be paid up front and in full."

Grumbling to each other, Harry and Ron snatched up the forms and left Lucius's office. As the door slammed shut behind them Lucius couldn't help but laugh, the meeting had been a lot of fun and he'd thoroughly enjoyed putting the pair of former Gryffindors firmly in their place. He was looking forward to telling Hermione about the meeting as well, no doubt she'd be amused by what had just transpired.

**[][][][][]**

Molly and Ginny were in the kitchen making dinner when Harry and Ron finally returned to the Burrow. All afternoon the two Weasley witch's had been eager to hear what had happened at the Ministry, but Harry and Ron didn't exactly rush home. Arthur had even returned home before the boys, although he didn't know what had gone on at the meeting with Lucius. Percy had also arrived for dinner, but he refused to talk about the meeting, claiming he couldn't betray his boss by breaking confidentiality and talking about Ministry affairs.

"Well, what happened?" Ginny demanded, when her boyfriend and brother came staggering through the back door.

From the looks of things the pair had spent their afternoon drinking and they were slightly worse for wear. The pair managed to collapse into seats at the table, before replying.

"What happened was, we were turned down again." Harry announced. "Lucius bloody Malfoy wants us to return to school."

"And pay for it." Ron added bitterly. "Look at how much he wants." He pulled the crumpled forms from his pocket and handed them to Molly.

"Sweet Merlin!" Molly gasped, reading the payment needed to send Ron back to school. "I'm sorry Ron, but we just can't afford this much."

"We're not going." Harry announced. "We're not letting him win, we're going to fight this."

"Fight what? There's nothing to fight." Percy scoffed. "You haven't been victimised or anything, you just don't have the relevant qualifications to enter Auror training. There is other stuff you can do, you know."

"I agree with Percy." Arthur said. "I know you boys set your hearts on being Aurors, but if you don't have the qualifications there's really nothing you can do."

"This is so unfair." Ron complained, dropping his head onto the table.

"What's unfair is you thinking you have a right to be Aurors, just because it's what you want to do." Percy argued. "If that's what you really wanted, then you should have worked harder in school and gotten all of your exams."

"But this change only happened a few months ago." Molly argued. "The boys didn't know they would need Potions exams."

"The qualifications needed for training haven't changed." Percy retorted. "They just thought they could waltz into training, because of who they are and who they know."

Harry and Ron both glared at Percy and sensing a major argument brewing, Molly quickly intervened. Sending Harry and Ron upstairs to grab a sobering potion, she set Ginny off setting the table. By the time Harry and Ron returned, the table was set and Arthur and Percy were sitting discussing work while Molly and Ginny finished off dinner.

"Are Fred and George coming for dinner?" Ron asked, gesturing to the two spare place settings.

"No. I invited Remus and Tonks." Molly replied, before frowning and checking the clock. "You know, they should be here by now."

As if on cue there was a knock on the back door and when Arthur went to open it, Lupin walked into the warm kitchen.

"Are you alone?" Molly asked, looking around for any sign of the bubbly Auror who was usually found with the werewolf. After months of fighting their attraction to one another, the couple had finally admitted their feelings and had moved in together a few weeks previously. "Is Tonks alright?"

"Not really." Lupin sighed, wearily running his hand through his hair. "She's had a bad day at work and wasn't up for coming out."

"I hope her day wasn't too bad." Molly said.

"Actually she's been put on a six month probation." Lupin replied. "One wrong move and she'll lose her job."

"That's terrible." Ginny gasped.

"Why is she on probation?" Harry asked.

"She's on probation for breaching confidentiality about the Auror training programme and backing two young wizards to be Aurors, despite the fact they're not qualified." He replied, looking pointedly at Harry and Ron. "Her and Kingsley were both reprimanded by Lucius and placed on probation."

"We're so sorry." Harry said immediately. "We never meant for Tonks and Kingsley to get into trouble."

"Maybe now, you'll see it's time to stop trying to be Aurors." Arthur said quietly. "There is other jobs in Law Enforcement you can do. You can always work your way up from there and become Aurors the harder way."

"Let's discuss this later." Molly interjected. "For now let's just have dinner. You are staying, aren't you Remus?"

"Yes, I'll stay." Lupin replied, settling down at the table as far away from Harry and Ron as he could get.

Dinner was a quiet sombre affair and almost as soon as it was over Harry and Ron made their excuses and headed up bed. They both felt awful that their stubbornness resulted in Kingsley and Tonks getting into trouble at work. They just hoped that the pair managed to keep hold of their jobs as they would feel even worse if they were responsible for two good Aurors losing their careers.


	8. A Very Tempting Offer

Hermione was sitting at her dressing table, re-reading a spell that would alter her voice. She was all ready for the smaller Death Eater party that was happening that evening, but with Lavender being present she was worrying about being recognised. Hermione was hoping to have a conversation with Lavender and the last thing she wanted was for her to realise who she was. The spell technically didn't alter her voice as such, it just changed how people heard it. Anyone who hadn't heard her speak as The Dark Lady would now hear a slightly different voice to what everyone else heard.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked as he emerged from the adjoining bathroom.

"Preparing to cast a spell, but I want to make sure I do it right." Hermione answered.

Draco walked over to Hermione where he leant over her shoulder and scanned the spell she was studying. "Why do you want to alter your voice?"

"I don't want to take any risks with Lavender." Hermione answered. "Not to mention I'll soon be going public with my plans for the school. I don't want anyone to realise who I am."

"No-one will realise who you are." Draco argued. "I've already told you, you speak differently as The Dark Lady. Vince and Greg both recognised the difference between Hermione and The Dark Lady. Not to mention you've spoken to both Potter and Weasley as The Dark Lady and they never picked up it was you."

"Harry and Ron had been kidnapped and were scared for their lives. They had more important things to worry about than what I sounded like." Hermione pointed out. "I want to have a serious talk with Lavender and if everything goes according to plan, I'll be in regular contact with her. We shared a dorm for seven years, there's a good chance she'll recognise my voice."

"I don't think it's necessary, but I guess it is better to be safe." Draco said.

"Yes, it is." Hermione agreed, taking another look at the spell.

Once she was sure she knew what she was doing, she cast the spell. Unfortunately because of how it worked she couldn't test it had been cast successfully, she just had to have faith in her magical abilities. Luckily that was something she had massive faith in and she rarely miscast spells, even when she was younger it was an odd time she'd miscast a spell.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked Draco, after double checking her reflection to make sure her glamour charms were firmly in place.

"Let's go." Draco held out his hand for Hermione, as he prepared to apparate them to the Manor.

The couple had just moved into their new penthouse, but as usual the party for her Death Eaters was being held at Malfoy Manor. The big party for everyone had been held the week before, but this party was smaller and more exclusive.

As usual Narcissa had done a brilliant job in organising the party and everyone looked to be having a good time. Hermione mingled with her followers for a while, all the time looking out for Mr Brown and Lavender arriving. When they did arrive she spotted the awed way Lavender looked around the place. Hermione waited until Mr Brown had introduced her around and Lavender looked settled before she approached.

"My Lady." Mr Brown nodded at Hermione as she approached. "Thank you for inviting us."

"You're welcome." Hermione smiled. "I hope you both enjoy the night."

"I'm sure we will, won't we Lavender?"

Lavender nodded, looking slightly overwhelmed by things. She'd actually taken the news of her father being involved with the Death Eaters rather well, but she was rather intimidated by the presence of The Dark Lady.

"Do you fancy going for a walk?" Hermione asked Lavender. "I know how intimidating these events can be. I was as nervous as anything when I attended my first party like this with my father."

"I'd like that." Lavender replied.

Hermione smiled at Mr Brown, before she led Lavender out into the garden. The whole time Lavender was looking around, taking in the people and sights as they made their way into the garden.

"I'm guessing this is all rather surprising for you." Hermione said.

"It was a shock." Lavender admitted. "But my Dad reassured me you're a good person and don't want to fight. Not that I really needed him to tell me that, it's being obvious from the moment you announced your presence."

"I'm not going to lie Lavender, I believe in everything my father fought for but I think there's another way of going about things. I don't want to fight, but I am The Dark Lord's daughter and I'm very capable of doing what's necessary to ensure I get what I want."

"And what exactly is that? If you don't mind me asking."

"I want to rid the wizarding world of muggleborns." Hermione answered. "We don't need muggleborns in our world. I believe we should be strengthening our ties with foreign wizards, and uniting the whole of the wizarding world. There is so much more to our world then wizarding Britain, there's a whole world out there and I want the wizarding world to be joined together as one big force. I also believe we need to nurture the young people who are born into magical families. That's actually what I intend to help happen, and I have a proposition for you if you're interested."

"What sort of a proposition?" Lavender asked warily. "I'm sure you're aware of who my boyfriend is, but I won't spy on him and the Order for you."

"I don't want you to spy on anyone." Hermione reassured Lavender. "I actually couldn't care less about the Order, unless they're going to meddle in my business. What I actually want to do is offer you a job."

"A job? Doing what?" Lavender asked. So far she hadn't quite decided what she wanted to do with her life, so a job offer could be tempting.

"I want you to be my P.A." Hermione said. "I've recently set up a company and I need someone to handle my appointments and ensure the office runs smoothly. Of course the office still needs setting up so I'll also need help with that."

"What exactly does your company do?" Lavender asked.

"We buy land or properties and turn them into buildings to benefit the wizarding community. Currently I'm building a school for younger children and I've just bought some land on which I want to build a magical creatures sanctuary." Hermione explained. "I've also got a lot more ideas in the pipeline, and I want to turn the business into a global firm, so travelling might be required."

"Wow, you want me to travel with you." Lavender gasped.

"If necessary yes." Hermione nodded. "Of course you'll get a generous salary. To be honest Lavender I need someone I can trust to ensure my days run smoothly."

"How do you know you can trust me, you don't even know me?" Lavender asked.

"I trust your father, and he reassured me you're just the person I'm looking for." Hermione answered. "I know this is a big deal and you'll want to think about it, but how I about I show you the school I'm building and take you to the offices I've just secured. We can talk a bit more about the job and see if you're interested."

"That sounds great." Lavender replied.

"How about Monday morning?" Hermione suggested. "I'll drop the address of the school off with your father and I'll meet you there at nine. Is that okay?"

"I'm looking forward to it." Lavender beamed.

"So am I." Hermione smiled back. "Now we better get back to the party. As the hostess I really shouldn't be missing for too long."

Hermione and Lavender made their way back into the party and went their separate ways. Hermione carried on mingling, making sure she spoke to all her Death Eaters and their partners. As she did so she kept an eye on Lavender and was pleased to notice her talking happily with Greg. The pair looked rather cosy and Hermione hoped that if Lavender accepted the job it would help a bit of romance blossom between the pair. She knew Lavender was still with Ron, but their relationship had been pretty fragile in school and she couldn't imagine it getting any better, especially if Lavender chose to work for her.

As she was watching Lavender and Greg, Hermione suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. Draco's familiar scent accompanied the arms so she knew immediately it was her boyfriend who was behind her.

"How did it go?" He asked, looking over at Lavender.

"Good." Hermione replied. "She's interested in the job. I'm meeting her on Monday to show her around the school and the offices. I'm confident she'll take the job."

"But will she be able to give you any information about the Order?" Draco questioned.

"She's already made it clear she's not spying on Ron or the Order, but I know Lavender and she tends to sometimes speak without thinking. Chances are she'll reveal things without even realising she's doing it."

"Maybe, but it sounds like she's loyal to the Order." Draco warned.

"Yet, here she is at a Death Eater party." Hermione retorted. "She's taken her father being involved with us completely in her stride, and she's settling in just fine. I think in time we'll see exactly where Lavender's loyalties lie, and I'm betting it's not with the Order."

**[][][][][]**

On Monday morning Hermione was waiting outside the partly refurbished school for Lavender to arrive. Both Vince and Greg were wandering about the place, as were a few dozen workers she had hired. The two former Slytherins were in charge of things and Hermione was thrilled with their work, as expected they shone once they were given a chance to prove themselves without Draco, Blaise and Theo around.

A few minutes before nine there was a loud crack and Lavender appeared by the side of the road. Hermione greeted the other witch and spent a few minutes showing her the outside of the property and explaining what was going on inside. After placing a protective spell around themselves, just in case they encountered any unsafe parts of the building, the two witches ventured inside.

"Greg." Hermione called, spotting him standing nearby looking over some plans.

"Hey." He replied, ambling over. "Do you guys want a tour? We've finished quite a bit since you were last here."

"Why don't you take Lavender?" Hermione suggested. "I'll go and find Vince and we can catch up on a few things. That way you can show Lavender the whole place."

"That's fine with me." Greg replied. "Is it okay with you?" He asked Lavender.

"Yes." Lavender replied with a small smile.

"I'll meet you back out front in an hour." Hermione told the other witch. "Then we can head to the offices."

Leaving Lavender with Greg, Hermione headed off to find Vince. She found him out the back of the property and they spent their hour discussing how things were progressing. A couple of her planned ideas for rooms weren't going to work but Vince showed her alternative ideas that he and Greg had come up with. After approving a few new changes, Hermione headed back out front to meet Lavender.

"What did you think?" She asked when Lavender emerged from the building.

"I think it's going to be brilliant." Lavender replied. "I wish I could have gone to a school before Hogwarts. Greg was telling me about some of the things you're going to do with the school and it sounds great."

"I must admit I like the idea, and I'm hopeful it'll take off. I think wizarding Britain needs more than just Hogwarts to educate children." Hermione replied. "Anyway, now you've seen the school do you want to see the offices?"

Lavender nodded, so Hermione gently took hold of her arm. She then apparated them to London, landing in a wizarding neighbourhood. The building she landed in front of was a tall office block owned by the Malfoy's. While it wasn't their main headquarters, Draco had a small set of offices on the top floor but the rest of the building was rented out to various companies. He'd rented Hermione's company a floor with the provision they could take over more floors if the company grew as she hoped.

Hermione led Lavender into the building and took her up to the fifteenth floor. Currently the offices were deserted, but Hermione knew exactly what she wanted to do with them. As she walked Lavender through them she filled her in on her plans and Lavender herself even made a few suggestions.

"You've certainly got everything covered." Lavender said as they ended up in the large office that would serve as Hermione's.

"Everything except a P.A, who can help me get everything sorted." Hermione replied. "I admit it'll be a time consuming job, especially the first few months as we set everything up, which is one of the reasons I'm willing to pay so well."

"How much are you willing to pay?" Lavender asked.

Hermione opened her bag and fished out a contract she'd had drawn up over the weekend. The contract was for her P.A. and it detailed wages and job responsibilities. It also included a confidentiality clause, meaning whoever signed it couldn't discuss her business with outsiders. Hermione handed the contract over to Lavender and watched as she read it. When Lavender got to the bit about the wages, Hermione could tell as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"Wow, this is very generous." Lavender remarked. She was already thinking about how she could get herself a nice flat with the wage The Dark Lady was offering.

"Well as I've said, the job is very demanding." Hermione replied. "It's not a regular nine to five job. I will require you to work some weekends and evenings, not to mention the travelling."

"I have to admit it all sounds great." Lavender said.

"Does this mean you're accepting the job?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I want to accept the job." Lavender replied with a large smile.

"That's great." Hermione replied. "Let's go for lunch and sort out all the details."


	9. Job News and Sneaky Plans

**A/N – Sorry for the delay in posting, but unfortunately I've had no access to the internet for a few days. I do however have some good news, I've finished writing The Dark Lady. From tomorrow updates will be daily, except weekends.**

* * *

Lavender paced up and down outside the gate leading to the Weasley's house. She'd come to see Ron and to tell him about her new job, but she had no idea how he'd take it. He was dead set against The Dark Lady anyway, but since being turned away from Auror training at the beginning of the summer he was always in a bad mood. After a few weeks of moping around he'd accepted a job working for the twins, but everyone knew he wasn't happy about the situation. It didn't really help that Harry had being offered a place on a professional Quidditch team, and seemed to be taking the setback of not becoming an Auror better than Ron.

Finally plucking up the courage to speak to her boyfriend, Lavender entered the back garden of the Burrow. As she was making her way towards the back door, movements caught her eye over in the vegetable patch. Looking around she found Ron grumbling to himself as he weeded the garden.

"Ron." Lavender called, heading over to her boyfriend.

"I wasn't expecting you." Ron said, not bothering to look up from his tedious job.

"Isn't that a nice welcome?" Lavender muttered. With each passing day she was beginning to wonder more and more about why she was still with Ron. When they first got together in school they genuinely had fun together, but these days they just seemed to tolerate each other.

"Sorry." Ron apologised as she stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothes. "I am pleased to see you, Lavender. I could use some cheering up."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Life." Ron replied, walking over to a nearby bench and plonking himself down.

Lavender walked over to where her boyfriend was sitting and perched next to him. "What's going on?"

"Not much. People are just planning their future, and I'm stuck here. I spend all week working for the twins, and whenever I have some free time Mum has me in the garden doing the chores."

"Who's planning their life, Harry?" Lavender guessed. It was familiar story with Ron, he always got jealous and moody whenever Harry seemed settled in his life.

"Yeah, he's got a great career ahead of him." Ron sighed. "He and Ginny are even talking about getting a place of their own next summer after she's left school. Can you believe it, my little sister hasn't even started her last year and already her future is sorted."

"You could have had a career." Lavender pointed out. "You chose to go and work for the twins. You could have gotten a job at the Ministry or something. Being an Auror wasn't your only option."

"It was the only thing I wanted to do." Ron retorted.

"No, it was what Harry wanted to do." Lavender replied. "Harry decided the pair of you should be Aurors, and you agreed. You never made a decision about what you wanted to do with your life. So Ron, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know." Ron admitted. "But aren't you being a bit hypocritical? You have no idea what you want to do, you're content to just live off the allowance your father gives you."

"That's where you're wrong." Lavender smiled proudly. "I've got a job, and I've just rented a flat."

"That's great." Ron told his girlfriend. "What are you doing?"

"I'm working for DL Holdings, I'm the P.A to the owner." Lavender replied.

"I've never heard of it." Ron shrugged. "Who is this person you're working for?"

"The Dark Lady." Lavender admitted quietly.

"What the hell, Lavender?" Ron exploded as he jumped to his feet. "Why are you working for that bitch?"

"She's really nice actually, and I would appreciate you not calling my boss names." Lavender retorted. "And as for why I'm working for her, it's a great job and I happen to like what she doing."

"What exactly is she doing?" Ron demanded. "How do you make a career out of being the leader of the Death Eaters?"

"Her company has nothing to do with the Death Eaters." Lavender said. "Her company is all about creating a better world for us, and giving us more things we need."

"Who the hell is us?"

"The wizarding public." Lavender answered.

Ron snorted and shook his head in disgust, in his opinion nothing The Dark Lady could do would benefit him or anyone else he knew. "How did you even get the job?"

"She asked me personally. Apparently my father had mentioned I was looking for a job to the Minister and he passed it along to The Dark Lady." Lavender responded. She knew she couldn't reveal her father's allegiance to The Dark Lady without causing problems for him, so she'd come up with a story that was close enough to the truth.

"I bet he did." Ron muttered. "But why did you accept the job? You know what she's capable of. You know what she did to me and Harry last Easter."

"I know you're only guessing about last Easter, you can't actually remember what happened." Lavender replied. "And even if she was responsible for what happened, you two got off light compared to Malfoy. Or have you forgotten the part you played in his kidnapping?"

"I can't believe you would do this." Ron sneered at his girlfriend. "I can't believe you would agree to work for a woman that controls the Death Eaters. I'm sorry Lavender, but I can't let this happen."

"You don't have a choice Ron, I'm already working for her." Lavender retorted as she stood up. "If you can't be happy for me, I guess I should leave."

"Yes, I guess you should." Ron agreed stonily. "I don't have time for traitors."

"Oh, grow up Ron." Lavender stormed. "The Dark Lady and the Minister are holding a press conference next week, maybe you should be there. Then you can see for yourself that she's not evil, she's just trying to help people."

Turning on her heel, Lavender stormed across the Weasley's back garden. The second she was outside of the property she apparated away in annoyance. She'd known Ron would react badly, but she was suspecting that their relationship was nearing the end of its lifespan. There was a chance it was already over, but if there was still life in their relationship it was fading fast.

**[][][][][]**

After Lavender's visit Ron spent the rest of the afternoon seething. He abandoned the gardening Molly had asked him to do and skulked around the garden, muttering about his girlfriend. He was still sitting around in the garden when Harry and Ginny appeared. Harry had taken Ginny out for the afternoon as she would be returning to school in a few weeks and they would be separated for weeks at a time.

"Mum's going to kill you." Ginny pointed out, spotting the half weeded garden.

"I've got more important things to worry about than gardens." Ron replied.

"What's happened?" Harry asked, sitting down on the bench next to his best friend.

"Lavender."

"Bloody hell Ron, we thought it was something serious." Ginny scolded her brother. "We're not interested in your domestic squabbles with your girlfriend."

"It's wasn't a petty fight." Ron told his sister. "We arguing about her new job."

"What job?" Harry asked. "I thought she didn't know what she wanted to do?"

"Now she does." Ron sneered. "Apparently my girlfriend is the new P.A. for The Dark Lady."

"She's what?" Harry yelled. "How could she?"

"I asked her the very same things." Ron told his friend. "She just won't listen. According to her The Dark Lady is a good person and just wants to help."

"Maybe she does." Ginny suggested.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ginny." Harry snorted. "The only people The Dark Lady wants to help are Death Eaters. She's dangerous and we need to get rid of her."

"And we need to get Lavender away from her." Ron added.

Harry was quiet for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. Both Ginny and Ron watched him, knowing some sort of idea was forming in his head. Eventually he nodded and a small smile played around his lips.

"What if we use this situation to our advantage?" He suggested. "We all agree we can't trust Snape to help us anymore, not that he was much help before, but now he's useless as it's obvious he's sided with The Dark Lady. But we can trust Lavender, and now she's close to The Dark Lady."

"Are you suggesting we use Lavender to spy on The Dark Lady?" Ginny asked.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting." Harry grinned.

"I don't know if it will work." Ron argued.

"Why not?" Harry questioned.

"First, she seemed pretty adamant that The Dark Lady's business had nothing to do with the Death Eaters. And second, we've just had a major row and I don't even know if we're still together."

"Of course her business if going to involve the Death Eaters." Harry retorted. "And as for your row, that's easy to sort out. Just go and make things up to Lavender. We need her Ron, you can't split up now, not when she had access to The Dark Lady. Lavender could be the key to bringing her down."

"Has it ever occurred to you two that Lavender might not want to spy on her boss for you?" Ginny asked, shaking her head at her boyfriend and brother. "You can't ask her to risk her job like that."

"We don't need to ask her." Harry pointed out. "All Ron has to do is make sure he stays close to Lavender. Even her general chit chat about work could help us."

"I think I'll have to wait a few days before getting in touch." Ron said. "If I go and see her right away, she might think something isn't right. I wouldn't come round that quick."

"You wouldn't have come round at all if it hadn't been for Harry's stupid plan." Ginny snorted. "If you didn't want information from Lavender you probably wouldn't have even bothered calling her again. I'm sure Lavender knows this, so in my opinion she'll be suspicious of you whenever you go crawling back to her."

"Ginny's right." Harry said, as the redheaded witch turned and wandered off into the house, having had enough of the madness outside. "We don't want Lavender being suspicious. If she thinks you're using her for information, she'll not tell you anything."

Ron nodded in agreement as he set about trying to ensure that Lavender didn't realise what he wanted from her. As he was thinking he replayed their argument in his head and the answer suddenly came to him.

"I know what to do." He excitedly said to Harry. "Lavender mentioned that The Dark Lady was holding a press conference next week. She said if I went I could see for myself that she wasn't up to anything."

"And how does that help?" Harry asked, not getting where Ron was going with his plan.

"We go along to the press conference and see what The Dark Lady's up to. I then go and see Lavender and admit I was wrong and everything seems above board with her new boss." Ron explained.

"But what if The Dark Lady's plans are obviously bad news?" Harry questioned.

"Even if they are, do you really think she'll admit it in public?" Ron asked. "Whatever she's up to, you can guarantee she'll walk away from this press conference looking like some sort of hero. We've already seen how easily she wraps people around her little finger, this will be no different."

"I suppose you're right." Harry agreed with a nod. "Look at the way she handled the press last year, one interview and she was loved by everyone."

"Exactly, this press conference will go the same way." Ron said. "And all I have to do afterwards is apologise to Lavender and tell her I support her new job. The rest will just fall into place, and before you know it she'll be unwittingly telling me all sorts."

Sharing a satisfied grin the two wizards headed indoors. They now had a plan in place and hopefully before long they would be getting valuable information about The Dark Lady. And hopefully that information could lead to her downfall, something that Harry and Ron were eager to see after everything she'd put them through.


	10. The Dark Lady's Big Announcement

The Atrium in the Ministry of Magic was all set up for the joint press conference between Lucius and Hermione, courtesy of Percy and Lavender's organisational skills. Percy and Lavender had ensured that plenty of press were there for the announcement, as well as leaving space for Ministry workers and the general public.

While Percy and Lavender were down in the Atrium making sure everything was running smoothly, Lucius and Hermione were up in his office preparing themselves. As usual Hermione was using her Dark Lady glamour charms and she had dressed in her trademark deep red.

"Are you ready?" Lucius asked, picking up his notes.

"Yes." Hermione nodded determinedly. "Let's go."

The pair travelled down to the Atrium in silence and when they arrived on the ground floor of the Ministry they made their way to the table that was set out at the front of the room. Upon seeing Lucius, Percy leapt into action and called for the room to be quiet. He then introduced the Minister for Magic, before standing off to the side of his boss.

"Thank you all for coming." Lucius addressed the crowds, noticing that most of the Order were present as his eyes swept across the room. "Today we're announcing big changes to our school systems. To begin I would like to introduce Miss Riddle, the owner of DL Holdings." Lucius gestured to Hermione, who smiled and inclined her head to the crowds. "Miss Riddle came to me with an idea that will change our education system so I think it's only right she explains what she's going to do."

"Thank you, Minister." Hermione smiled at Lucius as she took centre stage and he took a step backwards. "My idea is very simple and something I think should have been done a long time ago. I am currently building a school for young wizarding children to attend before they start at Hogwarts. Working together with the Ministry and Hogwarts, the school will become the perfect place for young witches and wizards to begin their magical education."

"Why do we need another school? Hogwarts is great." A voice called from the back of the room. Hermione couldn't quite see who had spoken but it sounded an awful lot like Ron.

"No-one is disputing Hogwarts is a fine magical school." Hermione replied. "But why should our youngsters have to wait until they're eleven to begin their education? If they start younger, they will have so much more potential to be great."

"Most children do have some form of education before Hogwarts." A reporter near the front of the room pointed out.

"Yes, they do." Hermione nodded. "But mainly from their parents or private tutors. Not all families have the time and the means to fully educate their young children. Many pureblood Witches and Wizards turn up at Hogwarts no more adept to magic than the muggleborns. That's just wrong. Magic is in our blood, we need to embrace it and nurture it in our young."

"And who could afford to send their kids to your school?" Another voice called from the back. This time Hermione was fairly certain it was Harry.

"I'm not charging anyone. I'm setting the school up and working with the Ministry to ensure it complements the curriculum at Hogwarts. I'm not making a profit out of the school, I just want to make the wizarding world a better place." Hermione answered. "My P.A has some brochures about the school, perhaps she could pass them around and people could take a look at what I have planned."

Hermione nodded to Lavender, who jumped into action handing out her brochures. Percy also grabbed a stack and helped Lavender hand them out, significantly increasing how quickly everyone got a brochure. Once the brochures had been handed out, Hermione watched as people flicked through the glossy pages.

"Will it be necessary for children to attend this school before Hogwarts?" One reporter asked as she flipped through the brochure.

"We're not going to force anyone to do anything, but it would be easier for the children." Lucius answered, moving so he was standing next to Hermione. "Within the next few years, when the school is up and running properly, we are going to completely overhaul the education system. At the minute a great deal of the students first year at Hogwarts is taken up with learning the basics of magic. With the help of Miss Riddle's school the children will already know the basics, enabling us to offer a more advanced course of magic from the beginning of a child's Hogwarts career."

"I have a few questions." Rita Skeeter announced, making her way to the front of the watching crowds. "How are you going to teach children basic magic without wands? Children don't get wands until they're about to start school, or are you changing that law as well?"

"No, that law will be remaining the same." Lucius replied. "Children will not be getting wands until they're about to start Hogwarts. What will be used in the new school will be training wands. These wands are very basic and will only be able to cast the very basic spells. It will be enough to help the children learn how to handle a wand as well as actually cast spells."

"And what about flying?" Another journalist questioned. "There's a couple of pages here dedicated to teaching the children how to fly, but they learn that in Hogwarts."

"Flying is a class taken in first year only, then it's dropped regardless of whether the student can fly or not." Hermione answered. "Those hours spent learning how to fly could be spent learning something useful if the children already know how to fly."

"What about Madam Hooch?" An angry voice from the back shouted. "You're kicking her out of a job if you stop flying lessons at Hogwarts."

"Actually Madam Hooch will be the flying instructor at the new school." Hermione replied with a smile.

"Until the changes to the system are fully implemented Madam Hooch will be working at both schools." Lucius explained. "Once flying lessons are stopped at Hogwarts, she'll concentrate solely on the younger children."

"It says here, the school will help promote peace and unity at Hogwarts." Rita said, once again drawing attention to herself. "How can your school do that? Everyone knows Hogwarts is riddled with house rivalries and will never be united."

"The school is like that because the students are separated at eleven and rarely mix with other students." Hermione answered. "It's automatic to mix with other children in your own house and make friends with them rather than anyone else. The setup of the school makes it very hard to get to know someone from another house, especially when you're settling into somewhere new."

"And how do you hope to change that?" Rita asked.

"My school isn't going to have houses, all children of the same age will be in class together. Therefore when they go to Hogwarts friendships will have already been established and even if friends are then placed in different houses upon their arrival, they would still have that earlier friendship to fall back on." Hermione answered. "Hopefully that way friendships will extend across the whole school and the house rivalry would be friendly, and not harmful and nasty as it is now."

"How would you know what things are like in school now?" Rita asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she studied The Dark Lady.

"You're forgetting Miss Skeeter, my son has just finished Hogwarts." Lucius interjected. "Draco has been a big help to Miss Riddle as she planned her school."

"Yes he has." Hermione agreed. "I've learnt a lot from Draco, and his experiences have been invaluable as I set about trying to make things better."

"I'm certainly impressed." A prominent journalist from The Daily Prophet remarked. "I have a young son, and I like the idea of him having a proper education before Hogwarts. When do you open?"

"Renovations are still underway, and I haven't completely sorted my staff." Hermione replied. "So I'm afraid, it won't be open in September. I am however hopeful of a New Year start. It may not be a full year of education, but it's a start."

"What happens to the children who don't go to this new school?" Rita questioned. "How are they supposed to keep up at Hogwarts?"

"Provisions will be provided for those children, but we're hoping not many need them." Lucius answered. "The hope is that parents take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to give their children an even better education. I know, I wish I'd been able to do this with my son. Luckily Draco had a mother who had the time and knowledge to educate him, but plenty of children don't have that. Hopefully this wonderful opportunity won't be missed by people."

"How do people know to enrol their children?" A woman near the front of the crowd asked. "Is there going to be a system like Hogwarts where they get letters?"

"There will be no letter system." Hermione answered. "My P.A has details on how to enrol your children and all the brochures have an address to write to get the relevant paperwork. Once the school is up and running there will also be an enrolment centre here at the Ministry. It is up to the individual parents to enrol their children, but I can guarantee you now that as long as the child has magical parents there will be a place for them at my school."

"Even squibs?" Rita questioned disbelievingly. "What's the point in giving them a magical education?"

"Because they have magic in their blood." Hermione answered, shooting Rita an unimpressed glare. According to Lucius, Rita had been unimpressed that she hadn't received the exclusive interview with The Dark Lady the previous year, and it looked as though she was still smarting and would not be a fan of Hermione's. "A lot of squibs might actually have magic if they had been taught properly at a young age. I know there are people born to magical parents, who just don't possess magic and no amount of teaching can help them do magic, but plenty of them might have traces of magic if only they'd been given the chance. Maybe if the wizarding world had spent their time and money researching and helping squibs, rather than embracing muggleborns, there might be less of them."

"I really think that's a topic for another day." Lucius cut in. He knew Hermione could rant for hours about muggleborns and squibs, but now wasn't the time for that particular debate, today was about her school.

"You're right, Minster." Hermione smiled. "Forgive me, I can get carried away when speaking about something that I feel strongly about."

"There's nothing wrong with being passionate." Lucius smirked at Hermione, before getting the press conference back on track.

He then spoke for a while about his proposed changes to Hogwarts, before ending the press conference. Instead of Lucius and Hermione slipping away after the press conference, they remained in the Atrium and chatted further to a few journalists.

Hermione was pleased with people's reaction towards her, and apart from a few unimpressed looks Rita Skeeter threw her way everyone was perfectly nice and polite to her. Several journalists expressed their approval of the idea and she sent a couple of them to book appointments in with Lavender so she could show them the school and explain her vision further.

As she wandered around the Atrium, Hermione spotted Harry and Ron skulking over beside the fires. At one point she thought Ron was going to approach her, but instead he made a beeline for Lavender. Out of the corner of her eye Hermione watched the couple, as they looked to be making up. Lavender had admitted that Ron hadn't taken the news about her job very well and that they'd had a big fight. Hermione had reassured Lavender that Ron would come round, and sure enough it looked as though she was right. Hermione did suspect that Ron would now be using Lavender as a way of getting information on her, but she knew any information Lavender did pass on would be worthless. Her business at DL Holdings wasn't anything to do with the Death Eaters, everything Lavender would be involved in would be completely legal and above board. Her P.A would have no need to know about the times when Hermione would have to use a bit of force and violence to get what she wanted.

* * *

**A/N – I forgot to mention it yesterday, but this story has 48 chapters and an epilogue. Also, it was pretty clear in that chapter, my version of squibs are slightly different to the canon version. But that's the beauty of fan fiction, you change alter things to suit your own story. More about squibs, and Hermione's views on them, will feature later in the story. **


	11. A Problematic German

The couple of weeks following Hermione's announcement about her school were exceptionally busy for the witch. The school was coming along perfectly, and the final contracts were signed to secure her a piece of land to build her magical creatures sanctuary. Hermione had also started making lists of other things she wanted to create in the wizarding world. Hopefully in a few years her presence in the wizarding world would be well enough established so that no-one went against anything she said. That was when she could really start asserting her power and ensuring the wizarding world was just like her father had envisioned it.

She'd also given several more interviews to the press and demand for places at the school were already higher than she'd hoped for. The only slight problem was Rita Skeeter and the scathing articles she was constantly writing about The Dark Lady. Luckily she seemed to be a lone voice in speaking out against The Dark Lady and people just dismissed her articles as her usual trouble making. The only people who did seem to like her articles were the Order and Hermione had heard rumours that the reporter had met up with Harry a few times and the pair were forging an alliance of some sort.

After a couple of busy weeks where Hermione and Draco had barely seen each other, the couple decided to spend a quiet weekend together. On the Saturday morning Draco had convinced Hermione that they didn't need to get up, they could just spend the morning in bed. Hermione needed little convincing to remain in bed with her lover so the pair spent Saturday morning lounging around naked in bed.

"I'm starved after all that exercise." Draco remarked as the couple lay sprawled on the bed.

"We could always get up and go out for some lunch." Hermione suggested.

"We could, or we could just grab something from the kitchen and return to bed." Draco countered. "That way clothes aren't required."

"The kitchen it is then." Hermione chuckled as she hopped out of bed.

Instead of leaving the bedroom completely naked, Hermione picked up Draco's discarded shirt and put it on. The grey shirt just say covered her backside and she left the top few buttons open.

"What happened to no clothes needed?" Draco asked as he watched Hermione dress in his shirt.

"I thought this might appeal." Hermione grinned wickedly. "Although if you have a problem with me wearing your shirt, you can come and take it off me. I'll be in the kitchen when you're ready."

Shooting Draco a flirtatious smile, Hermione sauntered out of the bedroom and headed for the kitchen. She wasn't sure if Draco would follow her immediately or if he would take a few minutes longer and try to creep up on her, so she began the search for food. After grabbing the makings for chicken salad sandwiches, she heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. Deciding to give Draco a bit of a show she deliberately opened the top cupboard where the glasses and plates were kept and set about grabbing what they would need for lunch. Because of the height of the cupboard Hermione had to stretch to reach anything, meaning Draco's shirt rode up, revealing her bare backside.

"It didn't take you long." Hermione remarked when she sensed a presence enter the kitchen. "Now get your sexy arse over here."

A low chuckle sounded from behind her and Hermione instantly knew it wasn't Draco. Quickly she pulled Draco's shirt down over her bum and whirled around to find a smirking Lucius standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Lucius." Hermione blushed slightly as she fastened the remaining buttons on Draco's shirt, all the time ensuring it didn't ride up and expose her again. "I wasn't expecting you."

"So it wasn't my sexy arse you were waiting for?" Lucius chuckled.

Before Hermione could respond there were footsteps behind Lucius and a naked Draco came striding into sight. Draco froze at the sight of his father, before turning round and bolting back to the bedroom. Hermione and Lucius both laughed as a sheepish Draco returned a few minutes later, only this time he'd pulled on his trousers.

"Father." Draco nodded to Lucius as he passed him and made his way over to Hermione. "You're timing's not exactly great."

"I wouldn't say that." Lucius smirked. "I got quite the welcome."

"Well Lucius, as nice as it is to see you, I'm assuming there's a reason you're here." Hermione said, flipping into Dark Lady mode.

"Yes, I have a favour to ask." Lucius replied. "There's a Ministry dinner tonight and a few important foreign officials will be there. Narcissa was supposed to be accompanying me, but she's not feeling too well. I was thinking you might like to join me. It could be a great opportunity for you to make an impression on a few senior officials from other countries."

"I would love to accompany you." Hermione smiled at Lucius. "You wouldn't mind, would you?" She asked her boyfriend. In all honesty she didn't need Draco's approval to go, but she wanted to be sure he didn't feel abandoned.

"Of course not, you should go." Draco said. He knew what a big opportunity this could be for Hermione and he was more than happy to alter their plans so she could attend the dinner. "I might pop over and see mother if she's not feeling well. It's not serious is it?" He checked with his father.

"No." Lucius shook his head. There's no way he would consider leaving Narcissa if she was seriously unwell. "It's just a late summer cold."

"In that case, I'll go and keep Mother company and you two can head out for the evening." Draco said.

"If you arrive at the Manor for half seven, we can leave from there." Lucius said.

Hermione nodded. "That's fine. See you then."

Lucius said his goodbyes to the couple and left them alone. Once he was gone Draco turned to Hermione and asked her just how much his father had seen of her.

"I'm not really sure." Hermione shrugged. "However much is on show when I reach into the top cupboard."

"Show me." Draco demanded.

Hermione unfastened the top few buttons on the shirt before turning round and reaching up into the cupboard the way she'd been doing when Lucius had approached. From behind her she heard Draco emit a low growl before he was pressed right up behind her. Despite the fact Draco had put his trousers on Hermione could still feel how aroused he was.

"I think father may have seen a bit too much of you." He growled as his hands unbuttoned the shirt Hermione was wearing.

Hermione quickly turned around in Draco's arms and let the shirt fall to the floor. Completely naked she hopped up onto the kitchen bench and pulled Draco so he was standing in between her legs.

"He would have seen a lot more if he'd turned up later." Hermione chuckled as her hands worked on ridding Draco of his trousers. "I'm completely exposed now."

"That's just the way I like you." Draco grinned as he pushed his trousers down his legs and stepped out of them.

Hermione grinned back at Draco as he stepped forward and pulled her towards the edge of the counter. With one smooth motion he was buried deep inside Hermione and thoughts of Lucius were banished as the couple lost themselves in each other.

**[][][][][]**

Just before half seven Draco and Hermione, in full Dark Lady make-up, flooed to Malfoy Manor. Lucius was waiting for the couple and after greeting his father, Draco headed off to spend the evening with his mother. Lucius meanwhile took hold of Hermione's arm and apparated her to the Ministry dinner.

Hermione was incredibly nervous as Lucius led her into the vast dining hall and introduced her around. Luckily for Hermione being in her Dark Lady guise gave her extra confidence and no-one noticed her nerves. Within half an hour she was feeling fairly comfortable at the dinner and was happily conversing with the foreign dignitaries before dinner.

It was over dinner that Hermione encountered a problem with one of the Germans, who happened to be the Deputy Minister of Magic for the country. The man, Boris Klein, had been off with Hermione all night and it was only a chance remark over dinner that revealed why. He was a muggleborn and didn't like what Lucius was doing within the British Ministry, not to mention he disliked her purely because of who her father was.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Hermione hissed to Lucius after dinner. The pair had stepped outside the dining hall onto a balcony that overlooked the nearby river and countryside. "Did you see the way he looked at me?"

"Yes." Lucius sighed. "Unfortunately it appears as though he will soon be in charge in Germany. The current Minister is unwell and Klein in next in line for the job."

"He'll never support anything I want to do." Hermione muttered. "If he's in charge, I don't stand a chance of exerting any power in Germany."

"I thought you weren't branching abroad just yet." Lucius said.

"I'm not." Hermione answered. "But things will run more smoothly if there's amenable people in power when I make my approach. Klein's still relatively young, if he becomes Minister he could hold the position for years. Before we know where we are, he could have ensured Germany won't ever put any restrictions on muggleborns."

"What do you suggest? You can't exactly get rid of him." Lucius chuckled.

Hermione smirked evilly as she looked up at Lucius. "Why not? I think it's time I took a leaf out of my father's book. He always got rid of the people who stood in his way, it's time I started to do the same."

"Just be careful." Lucius warned. "Your father was so good at eliminating his enemies without repercussions because he didn't do the deed himself. You have to find someone to do the dirty work for you."

"Don't worry Lucius, I have two people in mind for the job." Hermione replied casually.

"Can they be trusted not to betray you if things go wrong?" Lucius checked. Ultimately it was Hermione's call on how she handled Klein, but he wanted to ensure she knew the risks involved.

"I can trust them." Hermione reassured her right hand man.

"Good." Lucius nodded. "Do you need my help with any arrangements?"

"I'm good." Hermione said. "I'll handle this. You just act all surprised when Klein has an unfortunate accident."

"I can do surprised. Just look at the surprise I got this morning." Lucius grinned, chuckling when he noticed Hermione blush slightly.

"The look on your face wasn't surprise." Hermione shot back. "It was glee."

"It's not every day I get a glimpse of a young woman's posterior. I was making the most of my luck." Lucius joked.

"As long as you enjoyed yourself." Hermione rolled her eyes at Lucius.

"Oh I did." Lucius grinned. "And no doubt you and Draco enjoyed yourselves after I left."

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked, wondering if he'd returned for some reason and had witnessed what had happened in the kitchen after he'd left.

"You were wearing Draco's shirt, and I know from experience that there's nothing sexier than a woman wearing your clothes. I still love to see Narcissa wearing my shirts like that, it always leads to a good time."

"And on that note, I think we should re-join the other guests." Hermione chuckled. "I really don't need to hear any more about what you and Narcissa get up to."

"Shame, I have some pretty wild tales." Lucius remarked as the pair made their way back into the dinner.

"I bet you do." Hermione muttered as Lucius was whisked off as soon as they re-entered the room.

The rest of the evening passed without incident and apart from the German Deputy Minister, everyone liked Hermione and accepted her without any problems. By the time the evening ended and Lucius took Hermione back to the Manor, The Dark Lady was already making plans to deal with Klein. She did however want to wait a while before enacting them, she didn't want to risk anyone connecting her to whatever nasty fate awaited him. It wouldn't look good if a muggleborn was to meet a sticky end mere days after meeting her. She would wait patiently and when the time was right she'd dispose of Klein and ensure Germany had a Minister that was more approachable and was more accepting of her beliefs.


	12. Harry's Theory Debunked

**The Dark Lady's Identity Revealed.**

**In an exclusive interview with Harry Potter, the identity of the mysterious Dark Lady is finally revealed. Find out who Voldemort's daughter really is in tomorrow's edition of The Daily Prophet.**

Hermione finished reading the advertisement for the next day's paper and turned to her boyfriend and his parents. Hermione and Draco had gone over to the Manor for Sunday lunch and Hermione had brought up the piece in that morning's Daily Prophet.

"Will this be a problem?" Narcissa asked. "I thought you were happy for the Order to think I was The Dark Lady."

"I am happy for the order to think that, I just don't want anyone else believing it." Hermione replied. "We can't have people questioning my identity, it's too risky."

"Hermione's right." Lucius agreed with the young witch. "When she's trying to make a name for herself, she doesn't want people to think she's lying to them about who she is."

"She is lying though." Draco pointed out.

"Actually, all I'm doing is keeping my name private." Hermione answered. "But we can't have people thinking I'm Narcissa, especially as she's going to be announced as the Headmistress of my school soon."

"You know if we handle this correctly this is a chance to make Potter look ridiculous." Draco mused thoughtfully. "Tomorrow's interview will name mother as The Dark Lady and knowing Potter he'll claim he knows this for sure, he's not going to admit it's just a theory."

"Then we can issue a rebuttal." Lucius added. "If we all deny it, Potter will look like an idiot."

"He'll look like an even bigger one when we prove it." Hermione smirked as a plan began to form.

"What do you have in mind?" Draco asked.

"We let the story go ahead, then we deny it." Hermione explained. "Then we arrange to attend some sort of public event. I'll go with Draco and Lucius and Narcissa will go together. There's no way Harry can claim Narcissa is The Dark Lady while we're in the same room."

"I wouldn't bet on it." Draco snorted. "You know how stubborn Potter is, he'll claim father is being accompanied by someone using polyjuice potion or some such nonsense. He'll find a way to explain it somehow."

"He won't be able to explain a romance between us." Hermione said to her boyfriend. "It's time we made a very public statement regarding our situation. By the time we're finished everyone is going to know we're together, and no-one will think The Dark Lady is Narcissa."

Draco, Lucius and Narcissa all agreed to Hermione's way of thinking and they set out to make sure they thoroughly debunked any theory Harry was going to come out with the following day.

**[][][][][]**

As expected Harry's interview named Narcissa as The Dark Lady. Since the interview was with Rita Skeeter and she'd written the article, it sounded as though Harry had absolute proof of The Dark Lady's identity. Rita had taken great pleasure in writing a scathing article that made The Dark Lady sound like a scheming, deceitful witch.

Lucius of course issued a denial almost as soon as the papers hit the streets. When Hermione was contacted for a response, she also issued an official denial. She fully admitted to knowing Narcissa, but she insisted that she wasn't the witch she was accused of being.

After the denials the press were firmly split on who to believe. Some were declaring Harry the truthful one, some were calling him a liar and a few were hedging their bets and just running speculative articles on who could be telling the truth. The articles ran for almost a week before it was the night that the theories about The Dark Lady being Narcissa were to be extinguished.

Lucius had arranged four tickets to a charity fundraiser held by St Mungo's in aid of their children's ward. The press were out in force to cover the event and as luck would have it Harry and Ron also happened to be present. Harry's new Quidditch team were supporters of the charity so all their players were present. Since Ginny had just returned to school for her seventh year, Harry had brought Ron along as his guest.

Harry and Ron were happily standing at the bar, chatting to a journalist, when there was a commotion by the doors. Turning around they spotted The Dark Lady entering the room, with Draco Malfoy on her arm. She looked as dark and dangerous as ever with her jet black hair, dramatic make-up and stunning deep red dress.

"Either The Dark Lady had brought her son tonight, or your information in incorrect." The journalist remarked to Harry.

"My information is perfect." Harry retorted. "Dumbledore knew who The Dark Lady really was."

"I rather think he was lying to you." The journalist chuckled. "Look who's just walked in."

Turning their attention back towards the entrance Harry and Ron were shocked to see Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy entering the room. The couple briefly spoke to their son and The Dark Lady before heading off to speak to a few more people.

"They're playing us." Harry muttered. "That isn't Narcissa. Someone's pretending to be her."

"Or someone's posing as The Dark Lady." Ron added.

"If you're right, I hope it's the latter." The journalist said.

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Because I would hate to think that was Narcissa Malfoy with her son." The journalist said, gesturing across the room before he picked up his drink and left Harry and Ron to it.

Following the journalist's eye line Harry and Ron saw The Dark Lady and Draco on the dance floor. The couple were as close as they could get without being indecent and you could feel the sexual tension from across the room. As Harry and Ron continued to watch the couple continued to dance and they even shared a sensual kiss.

"I think we could be wrong." Ron muttered to Harry as they turned back to the bar and ordered more drinks.

"No, we're right." Harry insisted. "Someone else is posing as The Dark Lady tonight. Maybe Pansy perhaps."

Ron looked sceptical at his friend's idea, but didn't correct him. From where he was standing Dumbledore had made a mistake in his identification of The Dark Lady, but he knew Harry wouldn't accept it. He just wasn't willing to believe their old Headmaster could be wrong about anything. Unfortunately for Harry it looked as though Dumbledore was wrong about The Dark Lady, and it was Harry that was looking idiotic for believing him and spreading it around.

**[][][][][]**

While Harry and Ron were moping at the bar, Hermione and Draco were over the other side of the room making sure his theory went up in smoke. After dancing for a while, and making sure everyone saw they were romantically involved, they started mingling and chatting to people. Before long Hermione found herself talking to Mason Riley, Lucius's journalist friend whom she'd given her first interview with.

"Miss Riddle, it's a pleasure to see you again." Mason smiled.

"It's nice to see you too." Hermione smiled back. "Do you know my boyfriend, Draco Malfoy? Draco, this is Mason Riley, one of the top reporters in this country."

"You flatter me." Mason laughed as he greeted Draco. While he'd met Lucius's wife many times, this was the first time he'd met his son.

"So how are things Mason?" Hermione asked. "I've noticed you've written a few more articles about me."

"I hope they all met with your approval." Mason said.

"They did." Hermione smiled. All Mason's articles about her were very positive and he'd openly scoffed at Harry's claims of her being Narcissa. "And I'm pleased to see you didn't believe the rubbish Rita Skeeter's been writing."

"Firstly, I rarely believe anything that woman writes." Mason scoffs. "And secondly, I've met both Narcissa Malfoy and The Dark Lady and I know they're entirely different people. Although I am curious about your name, why the secrecy?"

"You've seen how people have reacted to the theory about Narcissa. I don't want my private life to be intruded on." Hermione explained. "As The Dark Lady, I run my business and I'm happy to be a public figure. But I also value my privacy. My father never spoke about his private life, and it was just that, private. I want my life to be the same."

"I understand." Mason nodded. "If people knew your name they could find where you lived, and some elements of the press would ensure every little thing you did would be reported."

"Exactly." Hermione nodded. "I was lucky enough to grow up without the press hounding my every move as no-one knew I existed. I would like the same for my family when I have children of my own."

"I suppose it is different for you though." Mason said. "You live a very different life to your father, and if you don't mind me saying the pair of you will have attracted a fair bit of attention tonight. Your earlier dance was rather the talking point."

"I understand I won't have the same level of privacy as my father, and that's why I'm keeping my name private. At least it affords me a bit of privacy." Hermione said. "And as for grabbing attention tonight, that was the aim."

"Of course, this was deliberate." Mason laughed in understanding. "You want to prove the theories about your identity wrong."

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "I may not be divulging my name, but I'm not going to let people think I'm someone I'm not. Narcissa and I are two separate people and people need to understand that."

"I don't think there'll be many doubters after tonight." Mason replied.

After a few more minutes of idle chit chat Mason said goodbye to the couple and disappeared into the crowds. Hermione and Draco then spent another half hour talking to more people, before Draco whisked Hermione back onto the dance floor.

"So children." He remarked as they swayed to the music. "That's the first time I've heard you mention having kids."

"I was talking about the distant future." Hermione said. "Children are not something I'm even ready to contemplate just yet."

"But you have thought about them." Draco pressed, eager to get Hermione's true thoughts on having children.

"Yes, I've thought about them." Hermione admitted.

"With me as the father?"

"Obviously." Hermione stopped their dancing and looked up at Draco. "Who else would I want children with? You're the only person I'm interested in Draco, I love you and I envision my future with you."

"Good." Draco smiled down at Hermione, before briefly brushing his lips over hers.

"So have you thought about children?" Hermione asked as they resumed their dance.

"Not really." Draco admitted. "But I can guarantee you that if I have children it will be with you."

"When." Hermione corrected. "When you have children they'll be with me. There's no if Draco, we're having children, just not yet. There's a few more things I want to accomplish before I settle down and have kids."

"And what exactly do you want to accomplish?" Draco questioned.

"I want to rule the world." Hermione grinned evilly.

Draco laughed as he spun Hermione around the floor one final time before they made their way to the bar for drinks. Harry and Ron were still sitting at the bar and Hermione made sure she and Draco remained as far away from them as possible. The first time she'd gotten close to Harry as The Dark Lady he'd recognised her perfume and since she was wearing it today she wasn't taking any risks by getting too close to him.

However she couldn't resist winding the two Gryffindors up slightly and as she was ordering drinks she told the barman to send two firewhisky's over to her old friends. When Harry and Ron received the drinks and discovered where they were from they shot Hermione a disgusted glare before getting up and storming out, leaving their untouched drinks on the bar.

Hermione shrugged the incident off and went back to enjoying the rest of the night with Draco. Her joy increased the following day when it became clear that they'd successfully shot Harry's theory down. Almost all of the articles openly called Harry a liar and they all declared that Narcissa wasn't The Dark Lady. There were several pictures of Narcissa and Hermione together and even more of Hermione and Draco together. Their romance was big news and Hermione suspected they would become a regular feature in the press as they lived their lives together.


	13. Planning

Hermione simmered with anger every time she happened to catch a glimpse of the newspaper on her desk. Despite her relationship with Draco now being public knowledge and the majority of the press backing her over Harry, Rita Skeeter was continuing with her sly little articles. Almost every day a new story appeared from her poisonous quill, backing Harry and trying to smear the good name she was building for herself. The article in the current edition of the Prophet was nothing different to usual, but they were starting to get on Hermione's nerves. Everything she wrote may have been nonsense but if she kept writing her bitchy little stories people might just start to wonder if there's some truth behind them and people might just start to turn on her.

Snarling softly at the thought of Rita winning some supporters, Hermione swept the newspaper into the bin beside her desk. In a fit of anger she then grabbed her wand and set the paper alight. Just at the moment Lavender chose to walk into the office and her eyes widened in surprise when she spotted the fire in The Dark Lady's bin.

"I can go if this is a bad time." Lavender offered. "I just came to bring you up to date with things like you asked."

"It's fine Lavender." Hermione said, dousing the fire with a jet of water from her wand. "I was just taking out my frustration at Rita Skeeter."

"Don't listen to her." Lavender said. "She's nothing but a vicious hag. Once she decides she doesn't like someone she just writes nasty articles about them, regardless of that fact it's all nonsense."

"I know I should ignore her, but it's hard to do when she's tearing into me without ever having really met me." Hermione admitted.

"Do you think arranging a meeting with her would help?" Lavender asked. "Maybe if she saw first-hand the good you're trying to do she would back off."

"I think it's gone beyond that. She's made up her mind about me, all I can do is rise above it and ignore her." Hermione said. "Now, let's get down to business and forget about trashy tabloid hacks."

Standing up from her desk Hermione made her way over to the corner of the room, where a comfortable sofa and two chairs were positioned around a coffee table. The area was a lot more relaxed than sitting at her desk and Hermione often sat with there with Lavender as they discussed what was going on in the business. Lavender joined her boss in the corner and the two witches settled down to talk.

"Firstly interest in the school is excellent." Lavender began with a smile. "We've had boat loads of children being signed up. I also have the announcement about Mrs Malfoy being the headmistress here, if you want to check it over."

Lavender handed Hermione a written press statement, which she proceeded to check over. Satisfied it was what she wanted Hermione gave it back to Lavender and told her to release it when they were finished.

"Greg was here this morning, asking about the animal sanctuary." Lavender said, moving onto the next order of business. "The site's secure and he's cleaned it up, but you haven't given him any orders about what to do next. He's at a loss, so he's gone back to help Vincent finish the school."

"To be honest, I'm at a loss myself." Hermione sighed. She still wanted Charlie to work at the sanctuary, but she'd been too busy to organise a trip to see him and offer him a job. "I know what I want to do, but I have no idea how to go about it. I need an expert, but I'm not sure where to get one. According to Draco the Care of Magical Creatures Professor at Hogwarts was terrible, and according to Lucius he was never qualified in the first place. From what I understand he's back to being a groundskeeper, which is what he was before."

"Hagrid." Lavender nodded. "Yeah, he was the groundskeeper and Ron mentioned he lost his Professor's position."

"Draco was rather thrilled about that." Hermione commented. "He said the man was dangerous and he'd been seriously hurt in one lesson years ago."

"Hmm." Lavender mumbled non-committedly.

"What?" Hermione asked. "Was he lying?"

"No, he did get hurt in third year." Lavender said, not wanting her boss to think she was casting aspersions at her boyfriend.

"But." Hermione prompted.

"He sort of asked for it." Lavender admitted quietly. "Hagrid had mentioned that Hippogriff's were sensitive and not to approach them without showing them respect first. But Draco sort of steamed in and ended up getting kicked."

"That sounds like Draco." Hermione laughed. Even at the time of the incident she'd thought he'd gotten what he deserved for not listening to Hagrid.

"Even so, Hagrid wasn't a good teacher." Lavender said. "He was always bringing inappropriate creatures to lessons."

"So he's not going to be of any help to me." Hermione remarked. "I think I'm going to have to ask you to do a bit of digging and see if you can find me an expert to help, otherwise the sanctuary just won't happen."

"Actually I might be able to help there." Lavender offered cautiously. "My boyfriend's brother works with dragons in Romania. Charlie's expertise is dragons but according to Ron he's great with most animals, and he has plenty of qualifications."

Hermione smiled at the mention of Charlie. This was just perfect, she could approach him and offer him a job but it wouldn't look as though she had made a bee-line for him. Lavender would be able to take the credit for mentioning him, and more than likely that would create more friction with the Weasley's and Ron in particular.

"Do you think you could arrange a meeting?" Hermione asked. "I'd be more than happy to travel to Romania, if that's better for Charlie. In fact I would prefer that, we could then see the dragon reserve first hand and it might give me an idea of what I'm doing."

"I'm sure I can arrange something." Lavender said. "I'll get in touch with Charlie and see what I can arrange."

"Let me know about timings and I can talk to Draco and see if he can accompany us." Hermione said. "You are okay with going with me, aren't you?"

"Of course." Lavender smiled. The Dark Lady had mentioned travel being a part of her job but so far they had been too busy setting up the office to even contemplate travelling around Britain, let along the rest of the world. "I'll look into it this afternoon."

"Thanks Lavender, you're a star." Hermione smiled at the other witch.

Lavender blushed at the compliment as she hurriedly moved onto another few matters. Ten minutes later Lavender left the office to get back to work, while Hermione also returned to work for a few more hours. When Hermione left the office early, to get ready for a Death Eater meeting that evening, Lavender was still trying to sort something out with Charlie, although it was looking promising that a trip to Romania would soon be on the cards.

**[][][][][]**

When Hermione walked into the Death Eater meeting she was pleased to note everyone was present. Since the incident with Draco a few months ago, no-one had pressed their luck and shown up late. There had been the odd no show but the Carrow's had dealt with them, and since then everyone had shown up to every single meeting.

"I'm so very pleased to see you all." Hermione said once she was standing at the head of the table. "I know things are quieter now, and I appreciate the support I receive from many of you on a daily basis. I do have a proposition to put to you, but first I want to mention something you may not all be aware of. Over the last few months mudbloods who signed up for the registration programme have been slowly leaving our world."

"I've noticed." One of the Death Eaters who worked in the Ministry called out. "I've cancelled several mudblood's wands in the last few months."

"Why are they suddenly leaving?" Rabastan Lestrange questioned. "Why sign the register, only to leave?"

"That is courtesy of Draco." Hermione smiled. "He's been dealing with our little mudblood problem."

Hermione rolled her eyes as her boyfriend basked in the praise he was receiving. She let him have his moment in the limelight, before ending the conversation and taking control of the meeting again.

"As I said earlier, I have a proposition for anyone who is interested." Hermione said. "I want people to start spreading the word throughout the rest of the wizarding world. I know my father has a few Death Eaters in foreign climes, but it's time we grew our numbers. Wizarding Britain is falling nicely into line with the exclusion of mudbloods, it's time we looked to expand our influence abroad."

"Do you just want people to travel and spread the word?" Amycus asked.

"Ideally I want people who are willing to settle in another country." Hermione explained. "I need eyes and ears all over. I need to know if people in power are going to be problematic, and if they are who else in the country would be better suited to go along with our plans. My plan is to unite the whole of the wizarding world like never before, and to do that I need people I can trust across the globe."

"Do we also get to recruit new Death Eaters?" Alecto questioned.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "Obviously I'll need to approve them and give them the mark, but it's time to expand our numbers."

"What's the point in expanding our numbers, if we never fight anymore?" Parkinson grumbled.

"You never know when we might need to fight." Hermione retorted. "At the minute my plan is running smoothly, but if anything goes wrong I'll not hesitate to return to my father's way of doing things. Besides, from what I know it's been a long time since you did any fighting."

"I'm an old man." Parkinson argued. "You can't expect me to fight."

"I expect you to keep quiet and not answer back." Hermione snapped. "Or would you rather get another reminder of what happens when you do talk back to me?"

Parkinson paled as he recalled his previous torture at the hands of The Dark Lady. "No, My Lady." He muttered quietly.

"Good." Hermione gave Parkinson a firm glare, before turning back and addressing the rest of the room. "Anyway, getting back to what we were discussing. If anyone is interested in taking a foreign posting if you talk to Lucius, and he can pass the information to me. Anyone who's interested will get a personal meeting with me, and I can guarantee I'll support you in any way possible. Obviously there's some people who are needed to remain here, but I'm sure you all know who you are and why you're so valuable to me where you are."

Hermione had to chuckle as a few of her Death Eaters, including Draco and his friends, all looked extremely smug. They all knew how vital they were to what she was achieving and that they couldn't be spared to move off abroad.

"I think that's it for today." Hermione announced. "There's no rush to make any sort of decision, and I don't want anyone to feel pressured to move. If you want to remain in this country, I have no problem with that. Wherever you are, all of you are important to what we're trying to achieve."

Hermione then dismissed her Death Eaters, except for Blaise and Theo who she asked to stay behind. Draco shot her a curious look as he left, but didn't say anything. He knew if she wanted him to know what was going on she would tell him later, and if she didn't then he would have to accept it as she was the one in charge.

"I have an assignment for you two." She said once the trio were alone. Even Lucius had left them as a few Death Eaters had already approached him wanting to talk about Hermione's offer.

"Excellent." Blaise grinned.

"I'm pleased you're so enthused." Hermione chuckled. "Now what I want you to do is going to be a big test. Get it right and I'll be thrilled, make a mess of it and there'll be trouble."

"We won't let you down." Theo assured Hermione.

"I hope not." Hermione remarked. "Sometime soon I'm hoping Draco and I will be taking a little trip, I'll give you the details when I get them myself. While we're away I want the pair of you to deal with someone who is proving to be a problem for me."

"By deal with, do you mean kill?" Theo asked, wanting clarification.

"I mean dispose of him in a way that no suspicion falls on me, or any of my Death Eaters." Hermione clarified. "How you do it is up to you two, but I want no trace of foul play. Is that understood?"

"Yes." Blaise nodded. "Who do you want us to dispose of?"

"He's a German, a muggleborn by the name of Klein. He's the Deputy Minister and I want rid of him before he becomes Minister." Hermione answered. "Ideally I would like the pair of you to enter and leave Germany without detection."

"You said you wanted us to do this while you were away. What happens if we can't?" Theo questioned.

"Then you don't do it and I'll send someone who can do the job." Hermione answered sharply. "This has to be done while I'm away and have a rock solid alibi, just in case. Hopefully I won't need an alibi as I'm trusting you two to deliver what I want. I'm putting a lot of faith in you two, don't let me down."

"We won't." Blaise reassured Hermione with a smile. "You can count on us."


	14. Voldemort's Request

Draco felt incredibly nervous to be visiting Hermione's childhood home without his girlfriend being present. He was on his way to see Voldemort after his father had informed him that the dark wizard wished to see him. Arriving via the front entrance, Draco knocked on the door and waited for an answer. It was a smiling Kathleen that answered the door and ushered Draco inside.

"Don't look so nervous Draco." She chuckled. "My husband only wants to talk to you."

"Do you know what about?" Draco asked as he followed Kathleen to the study that was once again Voldemort's private domain now that Hermione had moved out.

"I'm sure he'll tell you himself." Kathleen replied.

Kathleen led Draco into the study and went to pour two drinks while Voldemort welcomed Draco and asked him to join him in the chairs beside the window. After handing both men a drink Kathleen left the room, with the promise to be back soon and warning her husband not to overdo things.

"Honestly, she fusses so much." Voldemort sighed, although Draco could detect the warmth in his tone as he spoke about his wife. "Between her and Hermione I have no peace."

"I'm sure they mean well." Draco said.

"I know they do, but sometimes a man needs some peace and quiet." Voldemort replied. "And I suppose this brings me onto why I wanted to talk to you. I need you to speak to Hermione for me and convince her I don't need any more potions or spells for my magic."

A few weeks after Lucius's trip to Sweden a potion arrived that was supposed to help Voldemort with his magic. Hermione had convinced her father to take the potion and at first it worked splendidly. While his magic was limited, for a brief time Voldemort did in fact possess some magic again. However it wore of in just under a month and Hermione had been devastated to hear the potion should have lasted a whole year and it wasn't safe to take another dose for another year. Since then she'd been determined to find some other way to help her father, despite his constant protests that he was fine the way he was.

"That could be tricky." Draco admitted. "She's determined to find a cure. We're heading to Romania in a few days and she's already got plans for me to delve into the dark arts there and try and find something."

"Please don't." Voldemort said with a shake of his head. "Convince her that I don't need anything, I'm fine the way I am. Deep down she knows there's no cure, I just need you to get her to see it."

"I'll try my best." Draco replied.

"Make sure you do."

"May I ask why you want her to stop now?" Draco asked.

"Because I think that last potion I took nearly killed me." Voldemort admitted. "We never told Hermione, but once the magic faded I was bedridden for over a week. When she visited we told her I was resting, but the truth was I didn't have the strength to get out of bed."

"Hermione would never forgive herself if you died because of the spells and potions she was using to try and save you." Draco said, even though he knew he wasn't saying anything Voldemort didn't already know.

"I know, that's why she needs to stop." Voldemort said. "The potions Lucius provides give me the strength to live a relatively normal life. I would rather have the life I have now and live longer, than have magic and live for only a year or so. I want to spend as much time as I can with Kathleen and Hermione, and trying to bring back my magic is only cutting into that valuable time. As it is I could live for years, maybe even long enough to see Hermione married and to meet my grandchildren. That's why I need her to stop searching for something that doesn't exist. She should be concentrating her energies on running the Death Eaters and her business."

"Have you told her all this yourself?" Draco asked. "Surely that would help, if she heard this from you."

"I've tried, but she just won't listen." Voldemort said with a touch of irritation that was clearly aimed towards his stubborn daughter. "She's convinced herself that I need magic to be happy and she just doesn't listen to what I'm actually saying. I need someone who isn't afraid to tell her how things stand. I need someone who will make her listen."

"And you think I can do that?" Draco asked. "Why not Kathleen?"

"Again, we've tried but Hermione is convinced her mother is just humouring me. She needs a firm talking to Draco, and I happen to think you're the wizard to do it."

"I'll certainly give it a go." Draco reassured the older wizard. No doubt Hermione would be mad at him for bringing the subject up, but if it was what Voldemort wanted then he would talk to Hermione and try to get her to see sense.

"Thank you." Voldemort smiled at Draco, just as Kathleen re-entered the room.

"I hope you've finished, because you need to rest." Kathleen said to her husband.

"We're finished." Voldemort told his wife. "Draco knows what he has to do."

"Good luck with that one, Draco." Kathleen chuckled. "But seriously, thank you for agreeing to talk to her."

"I just hope I can get her to see sense." Draco remarked as he stood up.

"If anyone can, you can." Voldemort said.

As he said goodbye and left the Riddle's house, Draco just hoped Voldemort was right. Hermione was ridiculously stubborn at times and it could be a hard job to get her to agree to back off from trying to find a cure for her father's lack of magic. However he would try and hopefully he could talk Hermione round.

**[][][][][]**

"She cannot get away with this." Hermione stormed, throwing the Daily Prophet across the bedroom.

"Let's guess, Rita Skeeter." Draco sighed, going to retrieve the paper from the floor.

He had been going to try and talk to Hermione about her father, before they left for Romania later that afternoon. However if she was going to start ranting about Rita Skeeter it probably wasn't the best time to approach such a sensitive topic. Draco knew his best chance of getting Hermione to listen to him was to try and talk to her when she was in a good mood, and right now her good mood had evaporated with the arrival of the morning's paper.

Picking up the paper, Draco easily found the article that had gotten Hermione's blood boiling. As usual it was another scathing article about The Dark Lady, only this time Rita had dragged his parents into things. She was very critical of Narcissa's appointment as headmistress of the new school and a fair few paragraphs were devoted to all the reasons why, in Rita's opinion, she wasn't fit to be in charge of the school. However Draco was guessing the bit that made Hermione the angriest were the implications that there was something going on between her and Lucius.

"This is just more of her hateful garbage." Draco dismissed the article and threw the paper into the bin. "Just ignore it."

"I can't ignore it." Hermione protested as she threw back the covers and angrily stomped out of bed. "If she carries on like this she could turn people against me."

"No-one in their right mind would listen to Skeeter." Draco scoffed.

"People did back in fourth year." Hermione pointed out. "Everyone believed the muck she was spreading about Harry, not to mention the stuff she was writing about me. Even if it's an obvious attempt to smear my name, mud sticks, and somewhere there'll be people wondering how much truth there is behind her attacks."

"So what are you suggesting?" Draco questioned.

"If this continues, we'll need to deal with her." Hermione stated. "I won't allow that horrid beetle to ruin everything I'm working so hard for."

"And she won't." Draco soothed, pulling Hermione into his arms. "We'll sort her, I'll promise."

"We'll have to be careful though." Hermione mused. "If she suddenly disappears or is killed, Harry will kick up a fuss. The pair of them are clearly in league to blacken my name."

"We can worry about that later." Draco said, as he placed feather light kisses on Hermione's bare shoulder. "For now let's forget about Skeeter and Potter. We still have another hour before we need to be at the Manor for lunch, and I can think of better ways to spend the hour than bitching about two people who aren't even worth it."

"As tempting as that sounds, I need a shower." Hermione answered. "And I still haven't finished packing."

"We can shower together, and we can just use magic to finish packing." Draco argued. "Come on Hermione, you know you want to."

"Okay." Hermione grinned, grabbing hold of Draco's hand and pulling him into the bathroom. "Let's go and have a shower."

One steamy shower later, Hermione magically finished their packing and once they were dressed the couple headed to the Manor. Since it was a Sunday, Lucius was at home and Hermione and Draco found him sitting in the front room, reading Rita's article with a smirk on his face.

"Isn't it disgraceful?" Hermione asked Lucius, eying the paper in his hands with disdain.

"I don't know, I think it's rather amusing." Lucius smirked.

"You're just flattered by the implication that you could be involved with someone as young and attractive as Hermione." Narcissa remarked as she entered the room in time to hear the conversation. Walking over to Hermione and Draco, Narcissa greeted her son and his girlfriend. "I'm pleased you were able to come, considering you're going away this afternoon."

"Our port key isn't until much later this evening." Draco told his mother.

"Does Rita's article not bother you?" Hermione asked Narcissa. "Not only is she rather nasty about you, she's implying your husband is cheating on you."

"Honestly, she's not worth the hassle, sweetheart." Narcissa told Hermione. "She's a nasty, vindictive witch and I'm not going to waste my time fretting over the nonsense she writes." Turning to her husband, she gave Lucius a stern glare. "Besides maybe the implications about Lucius wouldn't have happened if he wasn't such a flirt."

"I can't help my naturally charming nature." Lucius retorted. "And I don't flirt with Hermione."

"Sure you do." Draco snorted. "I've seen you flirt in Death Eater meetings. Practically every sentence you utter has a double meaning."

"Things only have a double meaning if you want them to." Lucius argued. "To most people my comments are perfectly normal and nothing out of the ordinary."

"If you say so." Draco rolled his eyes at his father, before returning his attention to his mother. "How are you enjoying working at the school?"

"I'm sure it'll be different once it actually opens, but I must admit I'm enjoying getting everything in place and sorted." Narcissa replied.

"Well the place is looking brilliant." Hermione told Narcissa with smile. "I was there last week and you're doing a brilliant job."

"I just hope I do such a good job once there's children to teach." Narcissa said nervously.

"You will." Draco reassured his mother. "You'll be amazing, you were when I was younger. These children are lucky to have you."

Narcissa chuckled softly at Draco's comments and easily changed the subject to Romania and the reason Hermione and Draco were visiting the country. The conversation carried on throughout lunch and afterwards the topic was changed to discuss the upcoming parties for Christmas. It was only November, but considering both Hermione and Narcissa were busier than usual it would take longer to pull together the two Death Eater events.

After spending most of the afternoon with Draco's parents, Hermione and Draco headed back to the penthouse to grab their bags. While they were there Hermione fixed her Dark Lady glamour charms in place, before they headed to the Ministry. At the Ministry they met up with Lavender and the three headed to the port key office, where they caught their connection to Romania.


	15. Romania

Hermione looked appraisingly around the reception area of the dragon reservation as they waited for Charlie to arrive. Lavender had accompanied Hermione to the reservation, while Draco had gone exploring to look for a cure for her father. Upon their arrival in Romania the previous evening Hermione had instructed Draco to scour the country for answers, while she concentrated on wooing Charlie.

"This place looks impressive." Lavender whispered to Hermione as the two witches looked at some leaflets and brochures about the sanctuary.

"It does." Hermione agreed with a nod. "I just hope my place ends up as good as this."

"I'm sure it will." Lavender reassured her boss, as a side door opened and a well-built red-head entered the building.

A quick glance at the newcomer was all Hermione needed to know he was Charlie. While she'd never met Charlie personally, she'd seen pictures of him and heard enough from Ron to know what to expect.

"Lavender?" Charlie asked, his eyes flicking between the two witches. He knew one of the women was the girlfriend of his little brother, but he'd never actually met her.

"That's me." Lavender said, stepping forward. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Lavender." Charlie smiled.

"This is my boss, Miss Riddle." Lavender said, introducing Hermione.

"Ah yes, The Dark Lady." Charlie remarked, looking at Hermione in an assessing manner.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me." Hermione said.

"I have to admit, it was pure curiosity." Charlie said honestly. "I wanted to know what the daughter of one of the darkest wizard's in history could want with me, a member of a family that openly opposed everything he stood for."

"I assure you, my interest in you has nothing to do with my father, or your family. I'm not my father, and our personal beliefs shouldn't matter." Hermione answered. "I'm interested in your expertise with magical creatures, that's all."

"How so?" Charlie asked.

"I've got a parcel of land back home and I want to create a magical creature's sanctuary. Unfortunately it's not my area of expertise, I need some help with the project." Hermione answered.

"And you want my help." Charlie affirmed. "Why me?"

"That would be Lavender." Hermione admitted. "I was talking about how I needed help and she mentioned you."

"You are aware I'm a dragon expert?" Charlie checked. "My knowledge of other magical creatures is only okay."

"Now you're being modest." Hermione chuckled softly. "I did some checking, you're one of the best qualified wizards in Europe working with magical creatures. You may have specialised with dragons, but you could work with almost any creature you wanted."

Charlie smiled at Hermione, impressed she'd done some research into him and not just gone off one person's word, especially since Lavender didn't actually know him and all her information would be second hand from his family.

"Why don't I give you the guided tour." He suggested. "I can explain more about the place and you can tell me what you're trying to do back home."

"That sounds like a great idea." Hermione beamed.

"Let's go." Charlie said. "We've got a lot to see."

The tour took nearly three hours and both Lavender and Hermione were impressed with what they witnessed. The reserve was massive and they housed a large selection of dragons, including a few rare baby dragons whose species were on the verge of extinction. As they travelled round the reserve, Hermione and Charlie talked and by the end of the tour Hermione had aroused Charlie's interest in her sanctuary. He especially like her idea of linking the sanctuary with the school and educating the children about magical creatures from a young age.

"I admit, your idea is brilliant." Charlie said as they arrived back in the reception area and settled down in the seating area. "What sort of help do you want from me?"

"I want you to come and run the place." Hermione answered, surprising both Charlie and Lavender. "Actually, I want you to come and help create it as well. At the minute all I've got is the land, I need to create the sanctuary and I want someone who is passionate about what they're doing."

"What?" Charlie gasped. "You're offering me a job?"

"I am." Hermione nodded. "As I said, I want you to help me create the place and then run it."

"I have a good job here, which I love by the way. Why would I leave it?"

"Because you'll be in charge back home. I'm willing to double whatever you make here, I'll even give you a share of the sanctuary and we'll be more like partners." Hermione responded.

"How much of a share?" Charlie asked.

Hermione refrained from smirking at the interest visible in Charlie's eyes. "Ten percent."

"Twenty." Charlie countered.

"You would accept my offer for twenty percent of the business?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Charlie nodded.

"Then we have a deal." Hermione smiled, holding out her hand for Charlie to shake.

Charlie took hold of Hermione's hand and shook it. "I suppose we need to meet and discuss details."

"Actually I already have a contract drawn up." Hermione said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a legal document. "All you have to do is sign, and we have a deal. You'll come and run the sanctuary, and you get twenty percent of it."

"I'll not be able to leave here right away." Charlie admitted. "I'll have to work my notice."

"How about you start in the New Year." Hermione suggested. "I can arrange things here, so there's no problem with you leaving."

"Okay, if you can arrange it, I'll start in the New Year." Charlie nodded. "But you can't do anything without me there to agree."

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything to the sanctuary. I don't actually know what I would do, so I'm happy to wait for you." Hermione answered. "As it is I've got a few more projects in the pipeline for next year, so the sanctuary will be in your hands. I've assigned one of my top men to arrange the building's and stuff, you'll be working with him."

"That all sounds great." Charlie said. "But I'm sure you won't mind if I take my time to look over the contract and ensure it's all above board."

"Take a few days, we're here all week." Hermione replied. "Lavender can tell you where to find us and once you're ready to sign we can meet up for dinner to celebrate."

"Okay." Charlie nodded, agreeing to the idea.

**[][][][][]**

Hermione was lounging in a bubble bath in their hotel suite when Draco returned. After visiting the dragon reservation and talking to Charlie she'd spent another hour or so with Lavender, before heading back to her room to relax. Even in the privacy of the hotel room Hermione still had all her glamour charms in place, just in case they were disturbed. The chances of being disturbed in the room were slim but Hermione was being cautious. However, it was tiring to be The Dark Lady twenty four hours a day so Hermione had decided to hop into the bath in an effort to relax.

When Draco entered the bathroom he walked over to the large tub and gave Hermione a quick kiss, before kneeling down beside her.

"How did things go?" He asked, dipping his hand into the water and running his fingers over Hermione's thigh.

"Excellent." Hermione grinned. "Charlie agreed to run the sanctuary, he's checking over the contract but once he's happy he'll sign."

"Will he have any reason to find fault with the contract?" Draco inquired.

"Of course not." Hermione tutted. "The contract is exactly what we discussed, he'll find no fault."

"So you meant it, you're really giving him a share in the sanctuary?" Draco asked. When Hermione had mentioned the plan to him a few days earlier he'd been sceptical that she'd actually go through with handing over a share of her business.

"Yes. Twenty percent." Hermione answered.

"I hope you know what you're doing getting into business with a Weasley." Draco cautioned.

"I know exactly what I'm doing, Draco." Hermione reassured her boyfriend as she leant over and gave him a kiss. "Charlie is perfect for the sanctuary, and he's another Weasley I'm getting on side."

"Why are you so determined to get the Weasley's onside?" Draco questioned as he stood up and dried his hand on a nearby towel. "What's so special about that bloody family?"

"With Dumbledore gone, the Weasley's are the most influential people in the Order. If they're not against me, than the lesser members won't cause a problem." Hermione explained.

"What about Potter? He's still causing trouble." Draco retorted.

"No-one will listen to him without the backing of the Weasley's." Hermione shrugged. "And when I get rid of Skeeter, he'll have no way to pedal his hate in the papers. Give it a few months and Harry will no longer be a problem."

As he watched Hermione step out of the bath and begin to dry herself, Draco hoped his girlfriend was right. Unfortunately he thought she was wrong and Potter would continue to cause trouble, with or without Rita Skeeter to help him. In Draco's opinion both Potter and Weasley should have been eliminated already, but he knew the reason they hadn't. Despite all her protests to the contrary, Hermione cared for them. While their friendship had started off fake and she'd ultimately put her father first, she had still connected with them and some part of her thought of them as friends, even though she would deny it. Draco knew that if the pair were really as insignificant to her as she claimed that she would have killed them already, she'd certainly had ample opportunity to do so.

"So how did your day go?" Hermione asked, breaking Draco out of his thoughts. "Did you find anything?"

Draco turned to Hermione who was now wearing a silk robe and drying her hair. "No."

"We've got all week, I can help you tomorrow." Hermione said.

"Actually we need to talk about that." Draco took a deep breath before grabbing Hermione's hand and leading her into the bedroom. "Come and sit down."

"What's going on?" Hermione asked as she perched on the side of the bed and Draco began pacing nervously in front of her.

"I spoke to your father before we left." Draco began. "He wants you to stop, Hermione."

"Stop what?"

"Looking for a cure when there isn't one." Draco replied, sitting down next to his girlfriend.

"We don't know there isn't a cure unless we search for one." Hermione retorted sharply. "I won't give up on him."

"That's not what he's asking, he just wants you to face facts." Draco said soothingly. "The spell he used last time to return was the last resort, when that didn't work right he knew there was no cure."

"It didn't work because they didn't have all the facts." Hermione argued. "Until he spoke to Severus after his return, my father had no idea it was Dumbledore who had cursed him. He genuinely believed it was Harry who had been the reason he lost his powers. Now we know everything, we might be able to find a solution."

"There is no solution." Draco said softly. "I spoke to my father as well, the spell your father used in fourth year was his only hope. Even after they discovered the truth, it was that one spell that could have provided the answer. Unfortunately he used that spell based on using Potter's blood, that's why it didn't work. He should have been using Dumbledore, he was the cause of his loss of power."

"Why did no-one tell me this before I had Dumbledore killed?" Hermione exploded, jumping up off the bed. "I'm responsible for destroying my father's only hope of regaining his magic. I've condemned him to a life as a muggle."

"It wouldn't have made a difference Hermione." Draco told his girlfriend. "The spell was a onetime deal, and your father had already performed the ritual. Even if Dumbledore was still around, the spell wouldn't have worked a second time."

"But I can't just give up." Hermione whispered and when she looked up Draco could see the tears pooling in her enchanted blue eyes. "There has to be an answer."

"There isn't."

"The potion from Sweden worked briefly. Granted it didn't work as long as it should have, but it was something." Hermione said determinedly as she shook her head and regained her focus. Pacing the floor she began to voice her plans. "That proves his magic can still be restored and I won't rest until I've found the answer. I'll scour the entire globe if I have to, but I'm not giving up."

"The potion from Sweden almost killed him." Draco interrupted when Hermione drew a breath.

"What?" Hermione froze and looked at Draco in horror.

"The potion, it made him really weak. He hid it from you so you wouldn't blame yourself, but he thought he was dying." Draco said softly. "He doesn't want to risk using more potions and spells in case they kill him."

"But he'll be living without magic. You saw how happy he was when he briefly had his magic back. Without it I'm scared he'll just wither away and die." Hermione said quietly.

"He won't." Draco reassured Hermione as he pulled her back down onto the bed next to him and wrapped his arm around her. "The potions my father gives him keeps his strength up, and he's got plenty to live for."

"What? From where I'm standing he has nothing, no magic, no power and no freedom."

"He has your mother, and you. He's happy with you two, that's what he lives for. He wants to see the success you make of things and how you rule the Death Eaters. He wants to see you be happy and to make peace with what happened to him. He's accepted his magic is gone for good, now you need to do the same."

"It's going to be so hard." Hermione admitted, leaning her head on Draco's shoulder. "When he was like this before I consoled myself that it was only temporary, that one day he would be strong and powerful again. Now I have to accept he's going to be like this forever, and I don't know if I can. I hate having more power than my father, he was the darkest wizard to ever live and now he's a harmless old man, it's just not right."

"I know it's hard." Draco soothed. "But you'll do it. The important thing is that he's still your father, no matter how much power he does or doesn't have."

Hermione nodded in agreement as she snuggled closer to Draco. She wasn't happy about giving up her search for a cure, but if the last potion had nearly killed her father than it was for the best. She would rather have him as he was than lose him completely.


	16. Charitable Organisations

"How was your trip to Romania?" Lucius asked Hermione.

The pair were in Lucius's study, having a quick catch up before the Death Eater meeting. Hermione and Draco had returned from Romania the previous day, but this was the first time Hermione had seen Lucius. She had however paid her father a visit and promised him that her search for a cure was over, unless he changed his mind and in that case she was more than willing to try some more.

"Very successful." Hermione beamed. "I now have a qualified partner to run the sanctuary."

"Excellent." Lucius nodded. "I'm pleased your trip wasn't in vain."

"I'm assuming Draco told you the decision I made regarding my father." Hermione said. She knew Draco had visited the Manor the previous afternoon, while she had been with her father, and she assumed he had filled Lucius in on recent developments.

"He did." Lucius replied. "And I have to say, it's the right choice. Your father is fine as he is, and to be honest it'll be better for him not to worry about you pinning your hopes on something that's never going to happen."

Hermione nodded, before quickly changing the subject. "How's everything here? Did I miss much?"

"The place has been quite quiet. Although we did receive some sad news at the Ministry." Lucius said sombrely. "The German Deputy Minister died of a heart attack a few days ago. Shocking news, isn't it?"

"Terrible." Hermione grinned wickedly. She'd read about the incident in the papers over in Romania and was pleased that so far Klein's death was being treated as natural causes. "And he was in line to be Minister wasn't he, it's such a shame."

"Quite." Lucius smirked. "Although I hear the new forerunner is much more in tune with our way of thinking. She's a pureblood witch who's currently in charge of the Department of International Cooperation."

"That's good. Hopefully we'll have no more issues with Germany." Hermione said. "Now, let's get this meeting started."

Leaving the study the pair headed to the dining room where the Death Eaters were already gathered. Hermione nodded and greeted a few of them who she hadn't seen for a while as she made her way to the head of the table. Settling down in her seat, she began the meeting by thanking everyone who had chosen to move abroad and promised them they would be off shortly.

"I also want to make a few adjustments to the table." She announced. "Blaise, Theo move up a few seats." Following instructions from Hermione the Death Eaters switched about and both Blaise and Theo crept their way further up the table. "I'm very pleased with the pair of you, and if you continue in this vein you'll be climbing even higher up the table."

"Thank you My Lady." Blaise nodded respectfully while Theo also added his quiet thanks.

"Thanks to Blaise and Theo we no longer have a problem with the German Ministry, and hopefully when the new Minister is appointed we can do business. Luckily in the New Year I will have a lot more of you spread out around the globe and we can get rid of problematic people quickly and easily." Hermione said. "Speaking of problematic people, how's the muggleborn situation coming on Draco?"

"I'm whittling them down." Draco replied.

"Good." Hermione beamed at her lover. She knew there was a possibility of people talking about his position near the top of the table being a result of their relationship, but with his job of disposing of muggleborns no-one could argue he hadn't earned his place at her side.

After discussing a few more bits of minor business, Hermione handed out invitations to the two Christmas parties. As usual everyone got an invite to her large gathering, and also as usual the number of Death Eaters receiving an invite to her smaller affair were growing rapidly. Once the invitations were dished out she dismissed her followers and stood up to leave herself.

"My Lady, may I have a word?" One of her Death Eaters asked, approaching the top of the table.

"Of course, Mr Greengrass." Hermione smiled at the Death Eater who'd rarely spoken to her. Even at parties and social occasions, he'd greeted her in a friendly manner but hadn't conversed with her the way some of the other's did.

"It's about my daughter, Daphne." Mr Greengrass began. "She wants to become a Death Eater. She's a big fan of yours and wants nothing more than to help you."

"I'd be more than happy to talk to Daphne." Hermione said. "Why don't you bring her to the Christmas party and I'll have a chat with her. As long as I'm satisfied it's what she truly wants, I'll initiate her."

"Thank you My Lady, she'll be thrilled." Mr Greengrass replied.

As Mr Greengrass turned to leave, Hermione spotted Parkinson hovering behind him. Before she had a chance to ask if he wanted something, he turned around and headed for the door. Shaking her head at the man's strange behaviour, Hermione left the dining room. She wanted to speak to Draco and find out how much he knew about Daphne and whether he thought she would be a good asset to the Death Eaters.

**[][][][][]**

Hermione sat in her office, double checking she'd filled in the forms in front of her correctly. She was setting up a charity to investigate why some witches and wizards were squibs and to fund research into ways of curing the problem. In a short while she had a meeting with a prominent researcher, who'd devoted his life to looking into squibs. Hermione was hoping that she could get him aboard with her charity.

"Lavender." Hermione called, deciding she'd filled the forms in correctly.

Seconds after calling, Lavender appeared in the doorway carrying a notebook and quill. She always carried the book in case Hermione gave her any instructions to follow.

"Sit down, I've got a few things I want organising." Hermione told her P.A. "Firstly, I want you to send these forms off to the Ministry. Lucius assured me they would get top priority, so we should get a response sometime this afternoon. Hopefully the response will be positive and my charity will be officially registered."

Lavender took the forms from Hermione and placed them on her lap. "I'm assuming you'll want some sort of press release if that's the case." She said, predicting the needs of her boss.

"Yes, but as always run it by me before releasing it." Hermione nodded. "When the confirmation comes back I want you to start planning a big fundraiser for the beginning of the year, something elegant and refined. I also want you to start preparing for the opening of the school, I'm thinking something low-key just to mark the occasion."

"Okay." Lavender said, scribbling notes onto her pad. She loved the responsibility The Dark Lady gave her and she knew it would be her that planned everything, her boss would just double check the details and approve everything.

"I also want you to get in touch with the real estate firm that I purchased the school through. I believe I gave you the contact details when you first started." Hermione said.

"You did." Lavender confirmed. "What do I tell them you're looking for?"

"I want two buildings. One is for my charity to be based at, so it doesn't need to be too large. It just needs space for some offices and research facilities. The second one needs to be as large as possible, maybe three or four storeys. As usual if there's nothing that meets the description, land will do."

"I'll sort that." Lavender said. "Anything else?"

"You can let Greg know he'll be in charge of helping with the sanctuary when Charlie arrives in the New Year. Vince meanwhile will be working on one of my new projects, so make sure he's available when we go and check out the buildings, especially the larger one. I want him involved from the beginning." Hermione said.

"Consider it done." Lavender said as she stood up.

"Thanks Lavender." Hermione smiled at her P.A.

Once Lavender had left, Hermione turned her attention to a few of her other plans regarding her charity. She was still hard at work an hour later when Lavender poked her head into the room and announced the squib researcher, Daniel Dillon, was here.

"Mr Dillon, it's a pleasure to meet you." Hermione greeted the wizard when Lavender brought him in and introduced him. Hermione had been expecting an older wizard, but the wizard in front of her was an attractive man in his late thirties. "Would you like a drink?"

"Tea would be lovely." He replied. "And please call me Daniel."

While Hermione and Daniel settled down on the comfortable seats in the corner, Lavender organised the tea. Once Lavender had placed the tea onto the table she excused herself and headed back to work.

"I have to say, I was intrigued by your letter." Daniel said. "Not many people are interested in squibs, they consider them a blight on pureblood families. Setting up a charity to support them is a bold move."

"Is it a move you'd be willing to get involved with?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"As long as I'm sure you're doing this for the right reasons then yes, I'd get involved. I've long believed we can find a cure for the squib gene, if only time and money was spent on it." Daniel replied. "Do you mind if I enquire as to why this is the charity of your choice? Why squibs?"

"My aunt was one." Hermione answered. "My mother was three when her sister was born and by then she was already displaying signs of magic. When her sister wasn't displaying any signs of magic by the same age my grandparents took her to St Mungo's. They did say her magic could be slow to develop, but there was a possibility she was a squib. When my grandfather asked what they could do for her if she was a squib, the answer was nothing."

"Quite a common problem I'm afraid." Daniel tutted. "Most people just wash their hands of squibs, they don't bother to try and dig deeper and find out if there's an underlining cause. Of course, I'm sure you're fully aware of the most popular opinion about their origin."

"Inbreeding." Hermione answered, although her distaste for the opinion was evident in her voice. "Most people think squibs are the result of pureblood families being too closely related."

"I take it, you're not convinced by the theory." Daniel remarked.

"I'm not. I think it's a convenient answer, and one people throw about to try and justify muggleborns being a part of our world." Hermione answered. "My Aunt for example, she wasn't a squib because my grandparents were related. My grandmother was from New Zealand, and until she moved to England with my grandfather, none of her family had ever left the southern hemisphere. I'm not saying that in some cases families being too closely related isn't a factor, but things aren't that simple."

"I agree, I believe there's more to it than that." Daniel replied. "However, what if the theory is proved to be true? With the way muggleborns are being eliminated from our world, finding fresh blood to recreate with will be even harder."

"The wizarding world isn't confined to Britain. The overall population of magical people is actually very significant across the world. I believe it we strengthen ties with foreign countries that more people will end up marrying someone from another country. With the vast population across the globe it will be centuries before the problem of inbreeding becomes so significant that it has to be addressed." Hermione explained. "Besides, there's no law's against half-bloods. I'm sure if circumstances required it then muggles could be used to help populate the wizarding world, just as long as they don't try and join our world."

Daniel nodded, very interested in Hermione's viewpoints and opinions. "You make a lot of sense." He admitted. "Now to get back on track. You were telling me about your Aunt and your reasons for being interested in squibs."

"My grandfather was convinced there had to be something someone could do for my aunt, so the family started travelling the world looking for answers. Basically it was the same wherever they went, they were brushed aside and told there was nothing that could be done." Hermione explained, continuing on with her story. "Eventually they had to give up and accept the wizarding world just didn't want to help."

"Is your Aunt still alive?" Daniel asked. "I would love to talk to her."

"I'm afraid not, her and my grandparents were killed when my mother was in her final year of school." Hermione said.

What Hermione failed to say was that her grandparents had been targeted by the Order because her grandfather had been a Death Eater. It was their deaths that had driven her mother to take the Dark Mark as she vowed to kill whoever had murdered her family. It was also her quest for vengeance that pushed Kathleen towards Voldemort as they searched for her family's killers. By the time they found them and destroyed them her mother and father had formed the beginning of their relationship, which only developed further over the next few years, resulting in their marriage and then Hermione herself being born.

"I can see you're doing this for the right reasons, and I would love to get involved." Daniel said, bringing Hermione back to the present.

"That's great." Hermione smiled happily.

As the pair drank their tea they talked more about Hermione's plans for her charity and how Daniel could be involved. By the time they finished talking Daniel had agreed to work for the charity full time and run things, he even promised he could use his contacts to find people who would be interested in helping with the research side of things. All Hermione had to do was publicise the charity and ensure they got plenty of donations and money regularly flowing their way.


	17. Christmas Party

"Wow, you look stunning." Draco remarked as he entered the bedroom.

The pair were getting ready to go to the Death Eaters Christmas party, and Hermione had opted for a different style of dress. Normally as The Dark Lady she favoured deep red, but tonight she was wearing a dark purple dress, interwoven with small diamonds that twinkled like little stars. The dress was also a bit more revealing than normal, it was lower cut at the front than what she normally wore and the back of the dress was made of a thin purple lace. There was also a slit running up the right side of the dress, exposing her legs as she moved. Hermione had teemed the dress with a pair of high black stilettoes, her enchanted black hair was hanging loose down her back and she was wearing her usual dramatic make-up.

"It's not too much, is it?" Hermione checked. The dress was a dramatic departure for her, but for some reason she was feeling daring.

"No." Draco reassured her as he pulled her into his arms. "It's incredibly sexy. In fact I'm not sure I like the idea of you going out in public like this. All the Death Eaters will be eying you up."

"Luckily for you, I'm only interested in one Death Eater eying me up." Hermione retorted with a grin.

"I can guarantee that you'll have his undivided attention all evening." Draco replied.

"Just all evening? I was hoping to have your attention for longer than that." Hermione teased.

"You've always got my attention." Draco said, as his hand fell to Hermione's leg and slipped through the slit in her dress. "I'll give you a taste of it now, if you want."

"I don't think we have time." Hermione sighed. A second later she was wavering as Draco's talented fingers slipped under the silk material of her knickers.

"Are you sure?" He whispered, placing soft and gentle kisses on her neck and shoulder, while his fingers stroked her under her dress.

"You're such a bad influence." Hermione declared as she viciously crashed her lips against Draco's.

Draco smirked into the kiss as he backed Hermione up against the wall. Still kissing furiously the pair's hands got to work. Hermione managed to unfasten Draco's trousers, while he moved her underwear to the side and pushed her skirt up around her waist. Without preamble Draco slid effortlessly inside Hermione, who immediately wrapped her legs around Draco's waist. In a flurry of hot, passionate kisses and wandering hands, the pair began to move together. With the lack of time available to them the sex was fast and furious, but it was no less satisfying. Less than ten minutes later, Hermione was screaming out her climax and Draco followed immediately after her.

"You're definitely a bad influence." Hermione mumbled as they separated.

"And don't you love it." Draco grinned. He knew for a fact that if Hermione hadn't wanted to indulge in a bit of fun then she wouldn't have, she'd refused him plenty of times in the past.

"Maybe." Hermione shrugged. Wandering over to the dresser she grabbed her wand and quickly righted her clothing and tided her hair up. "Now, I think we should be going."

"Of course, My Lady." Draco nodded and offered Hermione's his arm. When Hermione took hold of it, he apparated them to the Death Eater party.

Upon arriving at the party the pair went their separate ways for a while. Draco went off to have a few drinks with his friends, while Hermione set about mingling with her Death Eaters. She liked to be accessible at parties and she felt it helped her that she was open and friendly with the Death Eaters in social circles. They all knew not to mess with her, but they also knew they could go to her and talk about anything.

Hermione had been at the party for about half an hour when she found Mr Greengrass and Daphne. Mr Greengrass made the introductions, before politely excusing himself. Once he'd gone Hermione asked Daphne about her desire to become a Death Eater. Draco had been adamant she would be an asset to Hermione, but she needed to be sure.

"Before I even consider giving you the mark, I need to be sure it's what you want. I don't want you doing this because of your family, it has to be your choice."

"I know. My father made that clear when I first mentioned what I wanted to do." Daphne said. "I was the one to approach him and ask if he could speak with you about me joining you."

"Why do you want to become a Death Eater?" Hermione questioned.

"I believe in what you're trying to do." Daphne answered. "I could just sit back and watch as you changed the world, but I want to be a part of it. I want to help create a new world where muggleborns are no more."

"I'm assuming your father has spoken to you about what I expect from my Death Eaters." Hermione said. "I demand loyalty and I don't accept people questioning me."

"I wouldn't dream of questioning you, and I'm already loyal to you and what you stand for. Even without the mark, I fully support what you're doing." Daphne replied.

"I appreciate that." Hermione said. "And I think I can confidently say, I'm happy to initiate you. I'll organise a meeting for the New Year and you can join us."

"Thank you." Daphne grinned. "I won't let you down."

"I'm sure you won't." Hermione replied with a smile. Something told her that Daphne was going to be a great asset to her. "Now why don't we grab a drink and get to know each other a bit better. I'm assuming you're friends with a few of my younger Death Eaters."

"I am." Daphne nodded. "I went to school with a few of them, including Draco."

"I know. He was quite complimentary about you when I mentioned you wanted to join our ranks." Hermione remarked as they headed towards the free bar.

"That was very nice of him." Daphne said.

Hermione grabbed two glasses of champagne, and handed one to Daphne as they carried on talking. By the end of the conversation Hermione had discovered that Daphne had a thing for Theo and was hoping for romance to blossom. More importantly Daphne had told her about her job as a fledgling reporter at The Daily Prophet. Immediately Hermione had known how Daphne was going to prove herself when she received her mark, she was going to give her the ammunition she needed to bring down Rita Skeeter once and for all.

Before leaving Daphne, Hermione called Theo over and told him to make their newest recruit welcome. Giving Daphne a conspiratorial smile, Hermione left her to get closer to Theo. Making her way back into the thick of the party, Hermione started to search for Draco. She'd seen him earlier with Blaise and Theo, but Theo was now with Daphne and she'd spotted Blaise in a heated embrace with one of her female Death Eaters. As she continued to search for her boyfriend, she suddenly spotted his recognisable platinum blond hair beside the window. When she made her way towards him, she frowned in confusion as she suddenly spotted who he was with. For some reason Pansy Parkinson was at the party.

"What is going on here?" She demanded striding over to the pair.

"That's what I'm trying to work out." Draco answered. "I was asking Pansy about why she's gate-crashing a private event."

"I've told you, I'm not gate-crashing. I was invited." Pansy pouted.

"Not by me." Hermione said, narrowing her eyes at the other witch. "So what are you doing at my party?"

"I came with Daddy." Pansy replied. "He said I was invited."

"Well you weren't." Hermione snapped. "Draco go and find Parkinson and bring him to me. Pansy and I will be in the garden."

"I don't want to go into the garden, it's snowing." Pansy protested as Draco turned and slipped into the crowds.

"Tough." Hermione said, grabbing onto Pansy's arm and steering her outside.

Once outside she cast a series of charms to clear a small patch of snow from the ground and to ensure no more fell where they were standing. She also cast a heating charm where they were standing so she wouldn't get cold. She couldn't care less about Pansy, but she wasn't about to freeze because of Parkinson's rash actions. After a couple of minutes Draco reappeared with an anxious looking Parkinson.

"What exactly are you playing at?" Hermione hissed at Parkinson. "Why is Pansy here, I don't recall inviting her."

"I'm sorry for taking liberties, My Lady." Parkinson apologised insincerely. "I heard you talking to Greengrass about his daughter, so I brought Pansy to meet you as well."

"So Pansy wants to be Death Eater?" Hermione questioned, raising an eyebrow at the raven haired witch.

"No bloody way." Pansy blurted out unthinkingly. "I don't want that horrible mark on my arm."

"Pansy, shut up." Parkinson hissed at his daughter, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"There's no need, I prefer people to be honest with me." Hermione glared at Parkinson before turning back to his daughter. "So Pansy, if you don't want to be a Death Eater, why are you here? What do you want?"

"Just because I don't want to be a Death Eater doesn't mean that I don't support what you're doing." Pansy answered. "I'm more than happy to be a Death Eaters wife. Do you have any single Death Eaters?"

Draco laughed at Pansy while Hermione looked at her as though she was mad. "I'm not running a dating agency here." She replied haughtily. "And even if I was, I wouldn't wish you on any of my Death Eaters. They all deserve better than you."

"How dare you speak to me like that, you jumped up little bitch." Pansy seethed.

"I can speak to you however I wish." Hermione snarled. "And it's time you and your father left."

"You're throwing me out?" Parkinson stuttered disbelievingly.

"Yes, and you should think yourself lucky that's all I'm doing." Hermione glared at Parkinson menacingly, causing him to take a few steps backwards. "Consider this your final warning. If you cross me again, you'll regret it. Now take your daughter and get out of here."

Parkinson quickly grabbed hold of Pansy's arm and the pair disappeared with a loud pop. Hermione shook her head at what had just occurred, before taking hold of Draco's hand and heading back into the warmth of the party.

"So how did things go with Daphne?" Draco asked, trying to get Hermione's thoughts away from Pansy and her father.

"Excellent." Hermione answered. "She's going to be very useful to us."

"I think Theo's going to enjoy having her around." Draco remarked, gesturing to where Theo and Daphne were enjoying a drink together.

"Good." Hermione smiled. She'd immediately taken a liking to Daphne and hoped she could find romance with Theo.

"Speaking of romance, how do you fancy leaving early?" Draco asked, smiling seductively at his girlfriend. "We can continue from where we left off."

"I'm sure we can leave in a short while." Hermione smiled back at her boyfriend. "But as for continuing from where we left off, I think not. We'll start from scratch, and this time we'll be in bed."

"I have no problems with that." Draco grinned. "I always love having you in bed."

"You just love having me wherever." Hermione laughed.

"True." Draco agreed with a smirk. "But a bed's always the best. Especially when you let me have all the control and do whatever I want with you."

Hermione chuckled as she leant over and brushed her lips over Draco's cheek, before moving them up to his ear. "I promise you can do whatever you want when we get home. Tonight, I'm all yours."

"In that case, I think it's time we got going." Draco said huskily.

"I think it is." Hermione agreed, her eyes flicking down to the bulge that was becoming visible in Draco's trousers.

Taking hold of Draco's hand, Hermione quickly found Lucius to let him know they were leaving early. Lucius threw a knowing smirk the couple's way as they hastily left the party, barely able to keep their hands to themselves. It looked as though The Dark Lady and her lover were in for a fun night.


	18. Charlie's Homecoming

The noisy atmosphere in The Burrow was becoming too much for Ron. It was Boxing Day and almost the entire family had gathered, meaning the place was crowded. Telling Lavender he needed some air, and didn't need any company, Ron slipped out of the house and settled down on the front steps.

Things between him and Lavender had been difficult since she started working for the enemy. He'd gone along with Harry's plan of making up with her, but so far it was proving fruitless. Lavender hadn't told him anything useful as she never mentioned work. She was aware that Ron didn't approve of who she was working for, so Lavender tried to make things easier by not talking about her work. In one sense Ron appreciated the gesture as it at least gave them some chance of pretending everything was fine between them, but it was also frustrating considering Harry kept badgering him for information.

"Is everything, okay?" A voice from behind Ron suddenly asked, jolting him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah." Ron answered, not looking round. He knew it was Lavender so didn't see the point in turning around. "I just wanted some peace and quiet."

"Okay." Lavender said quietly. "Do you want me to leave?"

Ron contemplated the offer before shaking his head. "Stay." Despite everything that was going on he still cared for Lavender, if only she would leave her job then things would be okay between them and they might even have a real future together.

"I know what this is about." Lavender said as she sat down next to Ron. "This is about my job. You still haven't accepted who I'm working for, have you?"

"Can you blame me?" Ron snorted. "She's evil, Lavender. She runs the Death Eaters, and don't forget who her father was."

"She's not evil." Lavender insisted, standing up for her boss. "You agreed to give her a chance and not judge her."

"I am giving her a chance. I'm coming to this bloody charity night with you, aren't I?" Ron retorted. He'd reluctantly agreed to attend The Dark Lady's charity ball the first week in January, but he wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

"Yes, you are. And I really appreciate it." Lavender said.

"I still thinks it's all just an act though." Ron warned his girlfriend. "I think her charity, the school and anything else she comes up with are just covers. She's still Voldemort's daughter and she's bad news. Mark my words, one day everyone will see her for what she truly is, and it won't be pretty."

"If you say so." Lavender sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue with Ron. He and Harry were so blinkered regarding The Dark Lady, and they wouldn't listen to anything she had to say in defence of her boss.

"I know you don't believe any of this, and you like her." Ron told his girlfriend. "But I'm worried about you Lavender. I don't want you to get hurt."

Lavender smiled at Ron, before leaning over and giving him a gentle kiss. While it was annoying he wouldn't listen to her, she did appreciate that he was worried about her. She knew he was wasting his time and The Dark Lady wasn't evil, but given who she was she could understand his caution.

"Come on, let's go back inside." Ron said as they broke the kiss.

Standing up, he offered Lavender his hand and pulled her to her feet. Still holding hands the couple turned and walked the few steps to the front door. Ron's hand had just landed on the door handle when there was a loud crack of apparition behind them. Pulling his wand out, Ron whirled around, prepared for any danger he might face. Instead of danger he found himself face to face with his brother, Charlie.

"Charlie!" He exclaimed with a grin. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet your big brother?" Charlie chuckled.

"Sorry." Ron said, rushing forward and giving Charlie a hug. "It's great to see you, Charlie."

"It's good to see you too, little brother." Charlie smiled. "And to answer your question, I've come home."

"For good?" Ron asked.

"Yes." Charlie nodded. "Let's get inside and I can explain what's going on to everyone all at once. It saves me having to repeat myself."

"Of course." Ron said. Turning back towards the house, he suddenly spotted Lavender and remembered his brother had never met his girlfriend. "Charlie, this is my girlfriend."

"Lavender." Charlie interrupted. "It's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too, Charlie." Lavender smiled.

"You two know each other, how?" Ron looked between his girlfriend and brother in confusion.

"We met in Romania last month." Charlie explained. He knew Lavender wouldn't have mentioned his homecoming as he'd specifically asked her to keep quiet so he could surprise his family with his return.

"Last month." Ron frowned as he remembered the mysterious trip Lavender had taken with The Dark Lady at the beginning of November. She wouldn't say where she was going, just that she was accompanying her boss on a business trip. "Your trip was to Romania." He said to Lavender, before suddenly turning to Charlie in a panic. "Please say your return has nothing to do with The Dark Lady."

"And what if it does?" Charlie questioned.

"You can't be serious Charlie, she's bad news." Ron exploded. He couldn't believe yet another member of his family was being sucked in by her act. Lavender was entranced by her and his father and Percy had both met her numerous times and the Ministry and were insistent she was a lovely person.

"She seemed perfectly nice to me." Charlie shrugged. "Now, I think it's time we went inside. I'm getting chilly and I want to see the rest of the family."

Before Ron could complain further, Charlie moved past him and pushed open the front door. Sulkily following his brother and girlfriend inside Ron stood back and watched the family greet Charlie. Everyone was thrilled to have him back and the excitement only grew when he announced it was a permanent return. The greetings carried on for a long time and it took nearly half an hour before everyone was settled and Charlie was able to explain why he was back.

"Basically I received an offer to good to pass up." Charlie explained. "I've been given the chance to create and run a magical creatures sanctuary in this country. In exchange for running the place and bring my expertise, I got twenty percent of the business."

"That's great Charlie." Molly beamed proudly. "I'm sure it'll be excellent."

"And why don't you tell them who the offer came from." Ron taunted. "Tell everyone who you're going into business with."

"My business partner is Miss Riddle." Charlie announced calmly. "She own eighty percent of the sanctuary, but I've got full control over everything that happens there."

"You are aware of who she is, aren't you?" Harry asked Charlie. "You know she's Voldemort's daughter."

"Of course I do." Charlie replied. "I know exactly who my partner is."

"And you're still willing to go into business with her?" Ron shook his head in disgust.

"I am." Charlie nodded. "Whose daughter she is and what she believes in personally, are nothing to do with what she's like as a business partner. She has an amazing vision for the sanctuary, and I want to be part of that."

"She's not a bad person at all." Arthur added. "What she's done with the new school is excellent. It opens in the New Year and from what I hear it's already got plenty of children signed up."

"And don't forget her charity." Percy piped up. "All she wants to do is make the wizarding world a better place."

"Honestly, I can't believe you lot." Harry stormed, jumping up from his seat. "She's got the lot of you brainwashed. She's evil. She's the reason Lucius Malfoy is Minister and she's the reason Hermione left and we haven't heard from her. Our best friend was driven away by that evil cow."

"That's enough Harry." Arthur said sternly. "We're not going to ruin the day arguing over The Dark Lady. We're going to celebrate Charlie's return home."

"It's nice to have you back Charlie, but I'm afraid you're going to have to celebrate without me." Harry said. "I need some air."

Harry stalked through the living room and headed out the front door, slamming it behind him. Ginny jumped up and followed her boyfriend, apologising to her family as she did so. While Ginny tried to talk Harry around the rest of the family began to celebrate Charlie's return.

**[][][][][]**

Daphne's initiation took place a few days after Christmas. The ceremony was the usual one, with Hermione branding the witch with the mark in front of everyone. A quick meeting was then held, where Hermione went over a few details for the Death Eaters moving abroad. Some had already left but most of those who'd offered to go were moving in the coming months. After finalising a few details, she checked in on Draco's progress with the muggleborns.

"I got rid of a few over Christmas and plan on disposing of a few more over New Year." Draco explained. "The holidays are the perfect cover, it's so much easier to convince people they're missing their families back in the muggle world over the holidays."

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle softly at Draco's words. She knew for a fact that the vast majority of his convincing consisted of him forcing them to write letters to the ministry expressing their wish to leave the wizarding world before disposing of them. He had gotten a few to genuinely agree to move back to the muggle world, but on a whole he preferred to make the problem go away permanently.

"Blaise, I've also got a job for you." Hermione said, turning her attention to her boyfriend's best friend. "I've had word from one of our men in Switzerland, we may have a slight problem. The Minister had just appointed a new deputy and she's not totally on board with our way of thinking. I'm worried she might influence the Minister and block any plans to introduce the muggleborn registration."

"Do you want me to handle her in the same way we handled Klein?" Blaise asked.

"No." Hermione shook her head. "She's a pureblood, so I have no desire to get rid of her unless totally necessary. I just want you to convince her that our way is the right way."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Blaise questioned.

"Try using that charm of yours, Blaise." Hermione replied. "Or are you not good enough to seduce a witch around to our way of thinking?"

"I can do it." Blaise asserted. "Don't worry about a thing, My Lady. I'll ensure she ends up on our side."

"Good." Hermione smirked. "You have until the end of January. If you can't accomplish it by then, I'll send in someone else."

Turning away from Blaise, Hermione dismissed the Death Eaters apart from Daphne. Once everyone had gone, including Lucius who had some business to attend to, Hermione told Daphne to take a seat. When Daphne was seated, she got down to business.

"I'm giving you your first assignment." Hermione told the other witch. "I want a comprehensive file about Rita Skeeter. I want to know more than what's easily found out about her, I want dirt. I want to know all her secrets, her habits, her hobbies, everything. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Daphne nodded. "Is there a time limit on my assignment?"

"Not really, I want a thorough job doing, but I don't want it taking a lifetime." Hermione answered. "She's starting to get on my nerves, I want a way to silence her."

"Do you mean kill?" Daphne asked.

"Does that bother you?" Hermione questioned, wondering if she'd made a mistake in initiating Daphne. She didn't want a Death Eater that blanched at the thought of killing, her followers needed to be ruthless and prepared to do anything.

"No." Daphne responded. "I understand that sometimes it's the only way."

"I haven't actually made up my mind regarding Rita." Hermione confessed. "I suppose it all depends what sort of information you get for me. There might be something I can use against her and force her to stop her articles, or I might have to resort to drastic measures. I suppose only time will tell."

"Either way, you can count on me." Daphne vowed. "I'll give you what you need."

"Thank you Daphne." Hermione smiled. "I'm sure you're going to be a great asset to the Death Eaters."

"Thank you, My Lady." Daphne inclined her head before she stood up to leave.

"One more thing." Hermione called, stopping the witch in her tracks. "Now you're a Death Eater, I'm going to tell you who I really am. There's a charm in your mark to warn me if you've spoken out of turn about my identity, but I'm hoping I can trust you."

"You can trust me." Daphne answered.

Hermione nodded, hoping she was making the right decision. She knew she didn't have to tell Daphne who she was, but considering Daphne was friendly with Draco and his friends, it made sense for her to know her true identity. Waving her wand, Hermione dropped her glamour's and watched in amusement as Daphne gawped at her.

"You're Hermione Granger." Daphne declared.

"It's Riddle actually." Hermione replied, before giving a shocked Daphne a brief explanation as to why she'd been posing as a muggleborn for so long.

Once Daphne had gotten her head around the fact Hermione was The Dark Lady, the two witches stood up. While Daphne left the Manor to go home, Hermione headed off in search of Narcissa. The school was going to open in a few days and she wanted to ensure that everything was on track. The next year was going to be a big one for Hermione, and nothing was going to stand in her way as she increased her influence across the globe.


	19. A Snap Decision

Hermione smiled widely as she looked around the elaborately decorated ballroom. It was almost two weeks into the New Year and so far everything was going great for the brunette witch. The previous week was the opening of her school, and apart from one scathing article from Rita Skeeter, the entire thing had been a big success.

The following week Hermione was also planning to announce her plans for the magical creature's sanctuary. Charlie was now in the country and with the help of Greg, he'd drawn up extensive plans for the space. It would take almost a year to get everything ready, but Charlie assured her when the place was complete it would be the biggest and best sanctuary of its kind in Europe.

As well as the sanctuary Hermione also had another project in the works. She'd just secured a parcel of land, on which stood a large three story building. Hermione planned on turning the building into a vast wizarding shopping centre. She was hoping for a collection of all sorts of shops, bars, café's, restaurants, beauty parlours and other such businesses to rent a shop from her. Like with the sanctuary, she was planning on announcing her plans in the upcoming days.

Hermione had also launched her squib charity, to a very positive reaction from both the press and the public. The fancy party she was currently attending, was in fact the charity's first event. Tickets had been sold for a three course meal at one of the finest wizarding hotel's in the country. While plenty of Hermione's Death Eaters were present, there were also plenty of other people who had turned up to support her charity. Hermione had also invited Charlie to the event, and allowed Lavender to attend as a guest as a thank you for all the hard work she'd done arranging everything.

"I've got to hand it to Lavender, tonight is spectacular." Draco remarked as he came up beside Hermione and handed her a glass of champagne.

"It is so far." Hermione nodded. Before dinner was served everyone was gathered in the fancy bar and so far everyone looked to be having a good time. "Let's just hope the dinner lives up to expectations."

"I'm sure it will." Draco reassured his girlfriend. "The chef is supposed to be one of the best in the country."

"I'm sure I'm worrying over nothing." Hermione said with a nervous smile. "I just want tonight to go well. Tonight isn't about gaining favour and support as The Dark Lady, it's purely personal. It's about raising awareness for something I've felt strongly about my entire life."

"I know." Draco wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist and placed a kiss on the top of her dark hair. "I'm sure if she were here, your aunt would be so proud of you."

"I second that." A voice said from behind the couple.

Whirling round Hermione beamed widely as she found her mother. She had given her mother a ticket for the evening, but Hermione wasn't sure she would show up without her father.

"Mum, you came." Hermione smiled. She refrained from hugging her mother, as no-one knew Kathleen was her mother and if they did it could cause complications. The last thing they needed was some nosey reporter tracking Kathleen down and discovering Voldemort wasn't really dead.

"Of course I came. I wasn't going to miss your big night." Kathleen responded. "I also wanted you to know how much this means to me and how proud I am of you. I know your reasoning behind the charity, and it means so much to me. Not only am I proud of you, but your aunt would have been, and your grandparents. I only wish you'd gotten the chance to meet them."

"So do I." Hermione smiled sadly.

She'd often wished she'd had a chance to get to know her mother's family, but at the same time she knew that if they hadn't been killed she might never have been born. It was their deaths that led her mother to join the Death Eaters, and it was her quest for vengeance that triggered her relationship with her father. If none of that had happened Kathleen might never have gotten involved with Voldemort and Hermione would never have been born.

"I better leave you to carry on mingling." Kathleen said after a few minutes. "I'll see you later, sweetheart."

Once Kathleen had left, Hermione and Draco went for a wander to talk to a few people. While the night was about her charity and not her plans for power, it would be foolish for Hermione to pass up the opportunity to make a good impression on people. As they traversed the crowds, Hermione spotted Blaise at the bar. Leaving Draco to carry on talking with the Ministry official they'd been chatting to, Hermione made her way over to her Death Eater.

"Hello, Blaise." She greeted, coming up beside him.

"My Lady." Blaise nodded, knowing better than to use Hermione's real name in public.

"I hear you've been away this past week. I take it you had a good time." Hermione said. She knew Blaise would get the message behind her words, but the public nature of their discussion meant they couldn't speak openly.

"I did." Blaise nodded. "Switzerland is lovely this time of year."

"And did you achieve whatever you went for?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Blaise answered. "I made a lovely new friend, and shared a few ideals with her."

"Was she receptive to these ideals?"

"Eventually. Luckily I can be pretty persuasive." Blaise grinned wickedly.

"I'm sure you can." Hermione laughed. "Good job Blaise." She whispered as she moved past him and returned to where Draco was still talking to the wizard she had left him with.

A few minutes later the wizard wandered off, leaving Hermione and Draco alone. As Draco turned so he was facing Hermione, he spotted something that made him frown. Looking over her shoulder, Hermione spotted the source of her boyfriend's displeasure. Lavender and Charlie were standing talking and beside them stood a scowling Ron.

"Who let Weasel in here?" Draco growled.

"He's Lavender's guest." Hermione answered.

"You knew he was coming?" Draco looked at his girlfriend in bewilderment. Having Lavender and Charlie working for her was one thing, but it could potentially be dangerous to socialise with someone who knew her really well as Hermione Granger.

"Lavender told me." Hermione replied. "She's hoping that Ron will see I'm not evil if he attends evenings like these."

"Do you think it will work?" Draco asked, wondering if that was why Hermione had let Ron attend. Was she hoping to get another Weasley on side?

"Hell, no." Hermione laughed. "Ron's far too close to Harry to ever give me a chance. I could be the nicest person alive, but because of who my father is, in his eyes I'll be the devil incarnate."

"So why let him attend?" Draco questioned. "You could have told Lavender to bring someone else."

"I have no problem with Ron being here. He's not exactly a threat." Hermione shrugged.

That was one of the good things about the way Hermione was going about things. Her enemies were considerably less than if she'd just gained power by force. If she'd followed her father's methods of using violence to get what she wanted, plenty of people would have opposed her. Even those who agreed with what she wanted might have fought against her doing it forcefully. However as it was she had plenty of support and there was only a small handful of people against her. Even those who were against her struggled to hurt her as there was no proof she was doing anything wrong and if they hit out at her, they would end up looking like the violent ones.

"Even so, I don't want to socialise with him." Draco remarked.

"That's a shame, I was just about to go over and say hello." Hermione smirked wickedly. "I'm sure he'll love a private chat with The Dark Lady."

"Maybe it could be worth popping over to see his face when you approach." Draco said. "He's hardly looking as though he's enjoying himself as it is."

"Come on, let's go." Hermione said as she began to weave her way through the crowds. "We should just have enough time to say hello before we head in for dinner."

Making their way over to Lavender, Charlie and Ron, Draco couldn't help but smirk as he spotted the unimpressed look on Ron's face when he spotted who was approaching them. Lavender and Charlie however, seemed quite pleased to see Hermione and Draco and they greeted the couple warmly. Draco and Charlie, who'd met briefly in Romania, instantly started talking while Hermione turned to her P.A.

"Lavender, tonight is wonderful. Thank you so much." Hermione said to her assistant. She'd already decided that when she spoke after dinner, she would be making sure to thank Lavender for all her hard work, after all the whole night was down to her.

"It's nothing. I was just doing my job." Lavender blushed.

"Well you've done a brilliant job." Hermione said. "Tonight is going exactly how I hoped it would. I'll have to get you going with other charity evenings, you've got a real talent."

"Thanks." Lavender smiled at her boss. Turning to Ron, she pulled her boyfriend forward, so he was standing beside her. "Miss Riddle, this is my boyfriend, Ron Weasley."

"It's very nice to meet you." Hermione said, holding out her hand for Ron to shake.

Ron however just looked at her hand in disgust, before glaring at the witch in front of him. "Miss Riddle. Don't you have a first name? Or do you just prefer The Dark Lady?"

"Miss Riddle or The Dark Lady is fine." Hermione replied. "As for my name, that's no-one's concern but mine. I do believe I gave an interview explaining my reasons for keeping my name private."

"Yeah, I remember." Ron sneered, recalling the article that happened about the time the theory of her being Narcissa Malfoy was blown out of the water. "It was some nonsense about wanting privacy."

"As I'm sure you can understand that given who I am, there's a lot of interest in me. Not all of which is very nice. " Hermione replied. "I'm merely protecting myself. There's nothing untoward about me never disclosing my name."

"It bloody well seems fishy to me." Ron grumbled.

"Ron, stop it." Lavender hissed at her boyfriend, before turning to Hermione in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine." Hermione smiled at Lavender, but her eyes flashed dangerously in Ron's direction. "Now I think it's time we were making our way into dinner."

"Of course." Lavender nodded.

Leaving Lavender to glare angrily at Ron, Hermione and Draco made their way towards the dining room.

"That was rather fun." Draco whispered to Hermione.

"It was, wasn't it?" Hermione smirked. "Of course it would have been even better to be able to tell him my name. I would love to see the look of shock and horror on it when he realises who I truly am."

"Maybe one day." Draco replied.

"Maybe." Hermione agreed, as they entered the dining room and began to find their seats.

**[][][][][]**

Ron was fed up, he was sick of the entire evening and he was especially sick of the way Lavender and Charlie refused to see what The Dark Lady was truly like. It was obvious to anyone with a brain that this whole charity thing was a way for the witch to gain favour with people. She didn't really care about squibs, she was just manipulating people into thinking she wasn't evil. Ron however knew better and he wasn't buying her little miss innocent act for one second. She was still Voldemort's daughter and she still controlled the Death Eaters. One day she'd show her true colours to everyone and then he and Harry would be proven right.

As Ron looked around the room, he decided it was time for him to leave. He'd endured a full three course meal and before that he'd spent an hour socialising with a bunch of people too foolish to see they were being manipulated. Now they were back in the bar, and Ron had well and truly had enough.

Charlie had disappeared almost as soon as dinner was over and Ron could see him sitting in the corner with The Dark Lady and her bunch of friends. As well as Charlie and the Dark Lady, Malfoy was with them and four of his friends from school; Blaise Zabini, Vincent Crabbe, Theo Nott and Daphne Greengrass. Charlie seemed quite content chatting to the boys, while The Dark Lady and Daphne seemed to be getting along swimmingly.

Lavender had also wandered off not long ago and when Ron spotted her he found her chatting with Gregory Goyle. Ron watched the pair for a few minutes, frowning when he realised they were flirting with one another. The image of Lavender flirting with Goyle was a disgusting one, but Ron wasn't in the slightest bit jealous. Watching Lavender fawn all over The Dark Lady and her Death Eaters had just confirmed what he'd suspected for a while, their relationship was only still ongoing because of the potential information she could give them regarding The Dark Lady.

Ron quickly headed over to Lavender and told her he was leaving. When she asked if he wanted her to accompany him, he said no and told her to enjoy the rest of her night. Lavender easily agreed to stay at the hotel and when Ron left, she was back talking with Goyle as though he hadn't ever been there.

Instead of apparating straight home, as he'd intended, Ron decided to head for a drink somewhere he felt more comfortable. Pulling his wand out of his pocket, he apparated to and alleyway just opposite The Leaky Cauldron. When he arrived in the alleyway, he was annoyed to find a couple blocking his way. The couple were pressed up against the wall, with their hands all over one another.

"Ugh. Disgusting." Ron muttered as he tried to squeeze past them.

"Watch it." The wizard growled, turning around and glaring at Ron as he accidentally elbowed him in the back.

Ron's apology died on his lips when he recognised the wizard as Marcus Flint. All of a sudden the last time he'd seen Flint popped into his head. If he'd just told them who The Dark Lady was, several events wouldn't have happened. He and Harry would never have kidnapped Malfoy, which led to Sirius's death and their subsequent kidnapping and torturing. If Flint had told them what they wanted to know, they would have known who The Dark Lady was and stopped her rise to power.

"What are you staring at?" Flint slurred, weaving slightly on his feet.

A glance behind the Death Eater, revealed that the witch he was with had passed out and was slumped against the wall. Without thinking about what he was doing, Ron raised the wand he still had clutched in his hand and summoned Flint's wand. In his drunk state Flint was in no state to stop him and he quickly found him unarmed and facing a wizard who hated him.

"This is for Sirius, and everything else that happened just because you wouldn't talk." Ron hissed quietly. Before Flint could react, Ron had the Death Eater's wand at his throat. "Avada Kedavra!"

The green light shot from Flint's wand and struck him in the neck. Immediately he toppled onto the floor, leaving Ron to stare at him in shock. He hadn't planned on killing the Death Eater, but he couldn't deny the buzz he'd gotten from doing so. This should be what he and Harry were doing as Aurors, taking scum like Flint off the streets, but because of Lucius Malfoy they weren't allowed. Maybe instead he should work free of charge, slowly ridding the world of Death Eaters.

Smirking at his idea, he wiped Flint's wand of any finger prints and dropped it beside his prone body. He then quickly cast a memory charm on the unconscious witch to ensure she didn't remember anything. Ron was fairly confident she hadn't seen him and had passed out almost as soon as he arrived in the alley, but he wasn't taking any chances. Looking around to double check there was no-one else around, Ron then apparated away again with a small crack.


	20. Daphne's Delivery

Hermione watched Draco as he threw his jacket over the back of the chair and collapsed onto the sofa. The couple had just returned from Marcus's funeral and while it had been a sad day for them both, she knew Draco was more affected by what had happened than her. She had lost a valuable Death Eater, but Draco had lost an old friend and someone he'd looked up to when they were in school. Marcus had been the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team when Draco had first started to play for them and Hermione knew how much he'd encouraged Draco over the years.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked her boyfriend as she perched next to him on the sofa. "Can I get you anything?"

"How about ten minutes alone with the bugger that killed Marcus." Draco replied.

"I'm working on it." Hermione sighed.

She currently had Blaise and Theo looking into Marcus's death as they had access to the official records as trainee Aurors. Obviously they had nothing to do with the actual investigation into Marcus's death, but they were still in the best place to gain information. Hermione was especially keen to have people she trusted looking into the incident as she was less than impressed with the official investigation.

After a couple of days investigating the Auror's official verdict was accidental death. They claimed that as Marcus and the witch he was with were drunk, they weren't in control of their actions. Their theory was that a noise had disturbed them in the alley and Marcus had pulled out his wand and fired off the killing curse and in his drunken state, he'd misfired and hit himself. That theory had only worked briefly as when Lucius had read the files to officially sign off on the case, he discovered a problem with the theory. Marcus's wand had no fingerprints on it whatsoever so unless he was wearing gloves, which he wasn't, it was impossible for him to fire the killing curse that killed him.

Now the Auror's were continuing their investigation, but were coming up with nothing. Although Hermione couldn't decide if their lack of progress on finding the killer was ineptitude or if they just couldn't care less about Marcus. Despite his mark being concealed she knew a lot of people still thought of him as a Death Eater, he was of course but the lack of mark should have at least meant the Aurors didn't treat his as such.

Hermione did have a theory on who killed Marcus, but so far it was proving impossible to prove. She was convinced the Order had something to do with Marcus's death, specifically Harry and Ron given what had happened with Sirius the previous year. Proving it however was a different matter. On the night of Marcus's death Ron was at her charity event, and although he'd left before Lavender, no-one was sure what time he did actually leave. It was very possible that he was still at the hotel when Marcus was killed. Harry meanwhile had been attending an official dinner with his Quidditch team, meaning he had a rock solid alibi. Despite the lack of proof, Hermione wasn't giving up on finding the culprit, hence Blaise and Theo's task of doing all they could to solve the crime.

"Are you sure there's nothing you want, before I head back out?" Hermione checked.

"I'm fine." Draco answered. "You go and see Daphne. The sooner you leave the sooner you can get back, and then you can take off you glamour charms and we can spend the evening just the two of us."

"I'll not be long." Hermione said, leaning over and giving Draco a quick kiss before she stood up and grabbed her bag.

Finding Daphne's address, Hermione then apparated to the flat where the former Slytherin lived. Since Daphne was expecting her, she answered the door almost immediately and ushered Hermione inside. Hermione was guessing like her and Draco, Daphne had just arrived home from Marcus's funeral as she was wearing the same black dress she'd been wearing when they spoke at the service a few hours previously.

"I have to say Daphne, I'm impressed with your speed." Hermione said as they entered the front room. "I didn't expect results so quickly."

"It wasn't that hard actually. Rita's remarkably upfront about most things." Daphne answered. "And surprisingly there's no skeletons hidden in her past."

"What, none at all?" Hermione questioned in surprise. "No forbidden romances, no secret love child or something dark she shouldn't have done."

"Nope." Daphne shook her head. "Nothing like that. Rita's pretty focused on her career, and seems to have been that way since leaving school."

"What about her love life?" Hermione asked as Daphne handed her a file, full of hand written sheets about the life of Rita Skeeter.

"She hasn't had a serious boyfriend in years." Daphne answered. "She does however have an arrangement with one of the guys in the printing department, his name's Julian. They spend one weekend a month together in a flashy hotel suite, but that's it. No proper dates, no meeting the family or anything like that. They're also both free to see other people, although Rita never does."

"Does this Julian?" Hermione asked.

"No." Daphne shook her head. "He seems quite content with one weekend a month."

"Strange bloke." Hermione snorted. "Draco would have a fit if I scheduled him for one weekend a month."

"I think most guys would." Daphne chuckled. "Julian however seems perfectly fine with the arrangement. Mind you, I don't suppose he gets much opportunity to go elsewhere. He's not the best looking guy in the world, but more importantly he's boring as hell."

"Clearly he's not boring where it counts, in the bedroom." Hermione answered. "There's obviously something there to keep Rita going back."

"Maybe." Daphne shrugged. "But I actually get the impression it's more convenience than anything else. With Julian she's got sex on tap, but if she wants someone else she has to take the time to go out and find someone. Rita's not going to spend her precious time looking for love, all she cares about is her career."

As Daphne had been talking Hermione had been flicking through the file on Rita and had come across a sheet full of descriptions of the reporter. A lot of them were Daphne's descriptions, but she'd also made a list of how other people described Rita. A few descriptions kept cropping up, such as ruthless and determined, but a few people had also referred to her as selfish and greedy. Curious as to how Rita was selfish, she asked Daphne about it.

"If ever there's a tip or a report of a story comes into the office and she gets to it first, she never shares. Even if she's working on a story or has a busy workload, she always keeps it for herself. I've heard rumours she's even buried stories until she was finished with what she was working on so that she could be the one to investigate." Daphne explained.

"What a lovely woman to work with." Hermione muttered.

"Then there's her chocolates." Daphne said. "She always has a box of fruit creams on her desk, but if ever she sees anyone looking at them she'll deliberately eat one in front of them."

"Does she never offer them around?" Hermione asked.

"No way." Daphne replied. "She's always banging on about how expensive they are as they're made in a nut free environment. There's no way she'll share them."

"Nut free. Is she allergic?" Hermione questioned.

"Deadly." Daphne replied.

"I take it all this is in the file." Hermione said.

"It is." Daphne replied. "You asked for every little detail, and that's what you've got. I've even included where she shops and stuff like that."

"Thank you, Daphne." Hermione smiled at the other witch as she stood up. "I'll have a good read through of the file, but something tells me it's going to be very useful indeed."

"I'm glad to have been of service." Daphne replied as they walked to the front door. "I hope I can come in useful again sometime in the future."

"I'm positive you can." Hermione answered. "Goodbye Daphne, I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye My Lady." Daphne replied, as Hermione pulled out her wand and disappeared with a crack.

When Hermione arrive home, she flew into the penthouse eager to get a look at the file. She knew the key to bringing down Rita was in her hands, she just had to find it and think of a way to use it to her advantage. One thing she was sure of though was that Rita Skeeter's days were numbered, soon her vicious articles would be no more.

Hermione entered the front room with a spring in her step, but she faltered when she saw Draco. Her boyfriend was sitting on the sofa, with his head in his hands while Lucius was standing beside the fire looking sombre.

"What's happened?" She asked, throwing the file, her jacket and her bag down on the chair.

"Rodolphus." Draco answered without looking up. "He's dead."

"What?" Hermione's eyes flew to Lucius, who nodded in confirmation. "How? What happened?"

"He was found dead in an alleyway this morning." Lucius replied. "I only discovered it when I went into the Ministry after Marcus's funeral. An investigation is under way."

"Dead in an alleyway." Hermione repeated in a low voice. "Just the same as Marcus."

"Exactly." Draco said, finally looking up. Hermione could see the anger burning in Draco's grey eyes, but she could also see the grief. Rodolphus was his uncle, albeit by marriage, and while they weren't particularly close, he was family nonetheless.

"It's the Order, it has to be." Hermione insisted. "And Rodolphus clearly has the mark. He spent time in Azkaban, and is a known Death Eater."

"I agree, the Order's behind the deaths of both Rodolphus and Marcus. Proving it however is a different matter." Lucius said. "Also because Rodolphus is a Death Eater, the Aurors want to speak to you."

"Why?" Draco asked. "They're not trying to pin this on Hermione, are they?"

"As if I would let them do that." Lucius tutted at his son. "They just want to ask her about Rodolphus. Hermione has publically stated she runs the Death Eaters, so it's only natural they want to speak to her."

"Do you think they'll ask about Marcus?" Hermione questioned.

"Possibly." Lucius replied.

"Will they be treating the two cases as one killer?" Draco asked.

"That's the instructions they're going to get from me." Lucius answered. "However, I'd bet good money that the Aurors never find the killer. That's why I'll be pleased to have Blaise and Theo fully qualified, at least they'll look in the right place for the culprit."

"Can't you sack the Aurors in charge of the case?" Draco demanded. "Didn't you have a couple of them on warnings anyway."

"I do, but the warnings only have a few weeks to go and they haven't done anything to violate them." Lucius answered. "I've seen the investigation notes from Marcus's death, and after that first theory that I debunked, they've proceeded as they should have. There's no evidence pointing towards anyone from the Order, and unless they find some and cover it up or don't follow it up, I can't sack them."

"Of course you can't." Hermione agreed. "The last thing we want is a scandal where you're accused of unfairly sacking workers. You just know if either Tonks or Kingsley are sacked that Harry will kick up a fuss, and we don't need that right now. I've got Blaise and Theo looking into it, and if we have to I can assign another couple of Death Eaters to help them."

"When do you want to come into the Ministry and talk to the Aurors?" Lucius asked. "I would recommend the sooner the better."

"How about now?" Hermione suggested.

"Now's fine." Lucius nodded. "I'm heading back to the Ministry, you can come with me."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Draco asked his girlfriend.

"It's okay, you stay here." Hermione said. "I won't be long."

True to her word, Hermione spent just under an hour at the Ministry dealing with the Aurors. She expressed how saddened and shocked she was at Rodolphus' death since he was an old friend of her father's. When asked about her relationship with Rodolphus she admitted to knowing him and to the fact he was a Death Eater and supported her beliefs that muggleborns had no place in the wizarding world. When asked about Marcus, she denied he was a Death Eater and claimed she only knew him vaguely through his friendship with Draco.

As Hermione left she couldn't help but have a quiet word to Kingsley, telling him to find whoever had killed the two wizards and bring them to justice. The unspoken threat that if they didn't she would, hung in the air between them. When The Dark Lady strode out of the Auror Department, Kingsley was in no doubt that whoever had killed Marcus and Rodolphus now had a target on them. He doubted The Dark Lady would rest until they were either in Azkaban, or if she got her hands on them, dead. Kingsley just hoped the killer wasn't someone he knew personally as their chances of surviving for very long were slim to none.


	21. Gathering Supplies

With everything that had been going on recently, Hermione had put thoughts of Rita Skeeter out of her head. Now however the witch had once again angered Hermione, and The Dark Lady was in no mood to take any prisoners. Her bad mood mainly stemmed from the fact she'd lost two Death Eaters within weeks of one another, and almost a month later there was still no clues as to who had killed them. The Order were the prime suspects, but no evidence of their involvement could be found by Blaise and Theo.

As well as dealing with what had happened to Marcus and Rodolphus, Hermione had also made her plans for the magical creature's sanctuary and shopping centre public knowledge. As she'd expected the press were mainly supportive of her plans, but yet again Rita was stirring the pot. Initially Hermione had brushed off her criticism that she was trying to close Diagon Alley down and drive the shopkeepers out of business. Hermione easily refuted the claims by revealing that every single shop owner in Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley had been offered a chance to rent one of the unit at her shopping centre at a discounted price. When a lot of the businesses in Diagon Alley had made it clear they were jumping at the offer and were more than happy at the thought of a brand new shopping complex, Rita was forced to back down.

Now however she'd penned a fresh article, which cut a bit too close to the bone for Hermione's liking. The article accused The Dark Lady of manipulating the wizarding public as she tried to gain power. Rita rightly pointed out that she was close with the Minister for Magic and now other European countries were beginning to implement the muggleborn registration, as well as agreeing deals with DL Holdings to build schools in their country. Rita's article concluded that she was managing to achieve what her father had set out to do, only she was doing so in such a way that people didn't realise how truly evil she was.

"This is the last straw." Hermione fumed, throwing down the paper onto the kitchen table.

"I've told you, just ignore her." Draco said, not bothering to look up from his breakfast.

"How can I ignore this?" Hermione yelled as she jumped up and began pacing the floor. "Almost every word is true. She's hit on exactly what I'm doing."

"No-one's going to believe her though." Draco replied, looking up at his pacing girlfriend. "Everyone knows she's got a vendetta against you, no-one will pay any attention to what she'd saying."

"All it takes is one person to think about her article." Hermione argued. "One person could be affected by her words and decide she's right. That person then just has to talk to a few people, and before you know it everyone's turning against me. I did not decide to do things this way, only to have to fight. She has to be stopped."

"Fair enough." Draco knew Hermione wasn't going to be dissuaded from taking Rita out, but he wanted to be sure she wasn't going to act rashly and do something that could later backfire on her. "What do you have in mind?"

"I'm going to kill her." Hermione answered coldly.

"Won't killing her be suspicious? You don't want people saying you were responsible because you didn't like her articles." Draco cautioned.

"Perhaps, I should be more specific." Hermione said, sitting back down at the table. "Rita is going to have an unfortunate accident, resulting in her death. There will be no way it can be traced back to me."

"You've already got a plan, haven't you?" Draco questioned.

"Yes." Hermione grinned. "I just need a few things and I'm good to go."

"What do you need?" Draco asked. "Maybe I can help."

"That's okay, I have everything in hand." Hermione reassured her boyfriend. At the disappointed look that settled on Draco's face, Hermione stood up and walked around the table. "Don't look so disappointed." She chuckled, perching on his knee. "There's other stuff I need you for."

"Like what?" Draco snorted. "Sometimes I feel like I do nothing to assist you. Blaise and Theo do more as Death Eaters than I do. I'm just The Dark Lady's lover."

"You're so much more than that, Draco." Hermione said quietly. "I couldn't do any of this without you."

"Bull." Draco shook his head dejectedly. "You could easily run the Death Eaters without me."

"Maybe I could." Hermione admitted, not wanting to lie to Draco. "But I don't want to. I want you by my side to help me."

"But I'm not helping you." Draco reiterated. "All I've done is get rid of a few muggleborns."

"Not just a few, you're working your way through the list nicely." Hermione said.

"I suppose." Draco sighed. "I still feel as though I need to be contributing more."

"And you will." Hermione insisted. "But at the minute, unless you want to move abroad to rally support, there's nothing major for you to do. You'll just have to be content with disposing of mudbloods."

"I guess so." Draco muttered. "Maybe I could see if Blaise and Theo need any help on their investigation. It's ridiculous that they're still clueless over a month later."

Hermione had to agree with Draco regarding his friends. She'd assigned them the task thinking they wouldn't fail her, but so far she'd been disappointed. She'd expected them to have something in the month they'd been investigating.

"I think that could be a good idea." Hermione said. "Maybe a fresh pair of eyes could make all the difference."

"I'll arrange for us to have a drink." Draco said.

"Why not invite them over here one evening." Hermione suggested.

"I thought this was your sanctuary, somewhere you could be yourself."

"I can still be myself with Blaise and Theo, they know who I am."

"Okay." Draco nodded. "I'll get them round and we can talk."

"Good." Hermione smiled as Draco seemed to relax with a plan in place. She would definitely have to find something for her boyfriend to do, she didn't want him feeling useless when he was anything but.

"Now that's sorted, what are you planning on doing for the rest of the day?" Draco asked. Since it was a weekend, he was hoping his girlfriend would be up for spending some time just the two of them.

"I have a couple of people to go and see, but I was hoping we could spend the weekend together. I was thinking we could go somewhere sunny, and spend the entire weekend naked." Hermione answered with a smile.

"I'll sort that." Draco agreed immediately. "We can go to one of the Malfoy villa's on a private island."

"I like the sound of that, a whole weekend of sun, sea and sex." Hermione grinned.

"The sooner we get sorted, the sooner we can get going." Draco said. "You go and attend to your business, and I'll get everything sorted for our weekend."

Hermione jumped off Draco's knee as the pair each headed off to get what they needed sorted. Draco headed off to the Manor to check with his parents what properties were available, his father tended to let friends and people he was doing business with use the villa's occasionally and the last thing Draco wanted was for him and Hermione to show up somewhere and Hermione's cover get blown. Hermione meanwhile applied her Dark Lady glamour's, before paying visits to both Daphne and Severus. They were both able to supply her with vital things to bring down Rita Skeeter and she wanted her hands on them as soon as possible.

**[][][][][]**

After a relaxing weekend on a private island in the Caribbean, Hermione and Draco returned home to yet more bad news. Two more Death Eaters, both of whom were low ranking and had done very little since Hermione had taken over, had been killed over the weekend, and as usual the Aurors were clueless as to the identity of the killer. Despite the two wizard's not having had done much for Hermione, they were still loyal Death Eaters and she was fuming that two more of her followers had been disposed of.

When she headed into work on Monday morning Hermione's bad mood was still present. Lavender immediately spotted her boss was in a temper and left her alone, while she got on with her own work. Lavender only interrupted Hermione when an owl arrived for her, carrying a small parcel in its claws.

"Thank you, Lavender." Hermione said, smiling for the first time that morning once she spotted the neat writing on the parcel that indicated it was from Severus.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Lavender asked, taking advantage of The Dark Lady's brief display of happiness.

"No, I'm fine thank you." Hermione answered.

Lavender nodded and left Hermione alone with her parcel. Once Hermione was sure Lavender wasn't returning, she ripped into the parcel. Inside the small box was two vials, filled with liquid. One vial was labelled polyjuice potion while the other vial contained highly concentrated nut oil. There was also a small note with the two vials, explaining how dangerous the nut oil could potentially be if not diluted. Even diluted it could cause an extreme allergic reaction, but in its concentrated form it would trigger a reaction instantaneously.

"Perfect." Hermione smirked as she returned the two vials to their box and locked them in her desk.

Feeling slightly happier now she had the two vials in her desk, Hermione returned to work. After a busy morning she grabbed the box containing the two vials and shoved it in her bag. Leaving her office she told Lavender she had things to do that afternoon and wouldn't be back. Lavender nodded and promised to lock up the office that evening. Thanking her P.A, Hermione left the office's and made her way to the café that she had arranged to meet Daphne.

"Do you have it?" Hermione asked when Daphne arrived.

"Of course." Daphne nodded and slid Hermione a small vial across the table. "I grabbed a few, just in case you needed more than one."

Hermione looked at the vial and found several hairs inside the glass container. "Thank you Daphne, I greatly appreciate your help."

"Anytime." Daphne smiled.

After having lunch with Daphne in the café, Hermione left for her next destination. Arriving at home, she pulled out the box from her bag and carried it into her study. Taking the hairs Daphne had procured for her, Hermione slipped one into the vial of polyjuice potion. Leaving the polyjuice potion on her desk, she placed the box with the nut oil in her safe, which was hidden behind a picture on the wall. Returning to the vial of polyjuice potion, she reluctantly picked the vial up and looked at the less than appetising contents inside.

"Here goes." She muttered, tipping the liquid into her mouth and swallowing the vile concoction.

Hermione grimaced as the horrible tasting liquid travelled down her throat. Looking into the mirror that hung on the wall, she watched as she slowly transformed into Rita Skeeter. Once Hermione's transformation was complete, she used her wand to alter the clothes she was wearing. She'd seen Rita often enough to easily alter her clothes into the garish fashions the reporter preferred. Satisfied she was well enough disguised, Hermione picked up a small money bag that was on her desk and slipped it into her pocket. She then pulled out her wand and apparated to Hogsmeade.

Hermione arrived in a back alley in Hogsmeade and once she'd steadied herself, she strode out into the streets and headed straight for Honeydukes. Hermione hadn't visited Hogsmeade since leaving school, but she had no time to reminisce. Polyjuice potion only lasted an hour and she wanted to be back at home long before the potion wore off.

Entering Honeydukes, Hermione scanned the shelves for the brand of chocolates Rita favoured. Spotting the fruit creams, she picked up two boxes and headed to the counter. The witch behind the counter smiled at Hermione and served her without question. With the two boxes of chocolates in her possession, Hermione left the sweet shop and moments later she was apparating away from Hogsmeade.

Once back at the penthouse she placed the chocolates in the safe with the vial of nut oil. With everything that was going on, she wasn't entirely sure when she was going to deal with Rita, but at least now she had everything at her disposal. Very soon Rita would be getting a deadly treat, and Hermione intended to be there to witness the reporter take her last breath.


	22. The Enemy Within

Draco's urge to do something more productive as a Death Eater only increased when he and Hermione arrived home to find two more Death Eaters were dead. After checking Hermione was still alright with him talking to Blaise and Theo about their investigation, Draco sent an owl off to his friends inviting them for dinner on the Monday night. He'd also told them to bring everything they had on the murders, so they could fill him in on where they were at. Theo sent back a quick note, accepting the offer and promising to bring everything with them.

When Draco arrived home on Monday evening, he found Hermione was already in the penthouse. His girlfriend was curled up on the sofa, going through a few files from work. He knew she was beginning to expand her business overseas and would likely have to travel more often in the upcoming months.

"I invited Blaise and Theo over." Draco told Hermione after he'd give her a quick kiss. "I hope you don't mind, I figured they could fill us in on what they've found out."

"That's fine." Hermione answered. "You did remember to tell them not to bring anyone else, didn't you?"

She wasn't currently in her Dark Lady dress, and would prefer not to have to go and apply her glamour charms. She spent so much time in her glamour's, it was nice to just be Hermione.

"They know not to bring anyone else." Draco reassured her.

"Good." Hermione replied with a smile. "Did you invite them for dinner, or are they due over later on?"

"We didn't discuss times. Theo just said they would be here after work." Draco shrugged.

"Sometimes you lot are so disorganised." Hermione tutted. "Get an elf to rustle something up, and if they turn up expecting food I can reheat it."

Draco nodded and called for one of the elves from the Manor and set it on making something to eat. Hermione and Draco didn't actually have elves of their own, but one of the elves from the Manor came to clean for them three times a week and there was always an elf on hand if they just called.

While the elf was in the kitchen, rustling up dinner, Draco went and had a quick shower before changing into something more casual. He'd just returned to the front room, when the floo network activated and seconds later Theo arrived in the room, swiftly followed by Blaise. Theo was carrying a thick file under his arm and both men were wearing grim expressions.

"Why do I have the feeling things have gotten even worse." Hermione said, placing her work down and looking at her boyfriend's two best friends.

"Because it has." Blaise said as he flopped exhaustedly onto a chair. "We found another Death Eater this morning, he'd been killed last night."

Theo briefly filled Draco and Hermione in on the latest victim, who again was a low ranking but loyal Death Eater. Hermione shook her head as she made a mental note to visit the wizard's family. She already had two families to visit after events of the weekend, and now she was adding a third.

"Three in one weekend. Whoever is doing this is stepping it up a gear." Draco remarked as he poured drinks for everyone.

"Actually, we're not sure it's all the same killer." Blaise said, thanking Draco as he accepted the glass of firewhisky.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked as Draco settled down next to her, while Theo took the other empty chair beside Blaise.

"The two victims on Saturday night were found together, and neither of them had been killed with their own wand." Theo explained. "Both Marcus and Rodolphus were killed with their own wand, which had then been wiped free of fingerprints and dropped beside their bodies. The two on Saturday had their wands on their person, and neither wand had been used to cast the killing curse."

"Meaning the killer used his own wand on Saturday." Draco said. "What about last night?"

"Last night's murder was the same as the first two." Blaise answered. "The killer had used the Death Eaters wand to kill him and dropped it beside his body."

"Are you telling me you think we have two different killers after my Death Eaters?" Hermione questioned.

"It's looking that way." Blaise replied. "Of course the Aurors are lumping all the killings in together, the differences with the wands isn't bothering them. They're convinced it's the same person responsible for all five deaths."

"But you're not." Draco stated.

"No, we're not." Theo said, shaking his head. "The killings on Saturday, just don't quite match. It's only tiny details, but we just don't think it's the same person who killed the other three. We don't know if it's a copycat, or just an opportunist."

"I trust your instincts." Hermione told the pair. "If you think we're looking for two killers, then we're looking for two killers. However either way I've got five dead men and there's bound to be some nervous Death Eaters out there. I'm going to go and see Lucius, I think we need a meeting so I can talk to everyone and ensure them we're doing all we can. You three have a good look at what you've got, maybe by the meeting you'll have something that can put people's mind at rest."

While Hermione headed off to apply her glamour charms so she could head to the Manor, the boys moved into the dining room. Spreading everything over the large dining room table, Blaise and Theo began to talk Draco through what they had and what they knew. Despite not being impressed that his friends had found nothing a few days earlier, Draco had to admit they'd done a thorough job. The reason they hadn't found anything was because there was nothing to find. Whoever was killing the Death Eaters were covering their tracks superbly, they weren't using their own wand and they weren't leaving any fingerprints behind. They even attacked in dark, back alleys, where apparition was common therefore impossible to trace one specific person.

Draco also quickly decided his friends were right about the killings on Saturday, they didn't quite fit the profile of the other murders. Neither of the dead wizard's wands had been used to cast the curse, and while they had been found in an alley there was something bugging Draco about it. Draco continued to study the information on the table, until it struck him what was wrong.

"The pair on Saturday were killed in Knockturn Alley." Draco pointed out.

"Yeah, we know." Blaise replied. "They were found in a side alley."

"Yeah, behind The Dark Mark." Draco said. The Dark Mark was the pub in Knockturn Alley that catered exclusively for Death Eaters, however since the Aurors hadn't been able to see the pub they'd claimed the building next to the alley was an abandoned shop.

"So?" Theo questioned, not getting the significance.

"So we think the killings are been done from someone within the Order, how did they find The Dark Mark?" Draco asked. "They couldn't have known where to look for Death Eaters. Why would the Order be hanging around Knockturn Alley in the early hours of the morning?"

"Unless they got extremely lucky, it wasn't the work of the Order." Blaise said quietly as the reality of the situation began to seep in.

"That means it was another Death Eater." Theo said, voicing what they were all thinking.

"Yes." Draco nodded. "I'd bet my life that the two men killed on Saturday were killed by one of us."

"Do we tell Hermione?" Theo questioned, looking at Draco.

"Did she ask for updates on every little lead you have?" Draco asked his friend.

"No." Blaise answered with a shake of his head. "She told us to tell her when we know who the killer is."

"Then I say for now, we keep quiet." Draco decided. "We've got somewhere to start looking now, but I'd rather not have to tell Hermione she has a rotten Death Eater, unless I'm certain that's the case. If we mess up and show our hand, they could run to the Order and blow her cover. For now this stays between us three, as far as anyone else is concerned all five men were killed by the same person."

"What are you going to tell Hermione?" Theo asked. "She's knows we suspect otherwise."

"I'll tell her we're convinced we have two killers, but without evidence we can't prove it." Draco answered. "I'll convince her that all the Death Eaters need to know is that we're onto it and whoever has killed our comrades won't get away with it."

Blaise and Theo both agreed with Draco, and promised to let him talk to Hermione. With that sorted the wizards packed up their work, and were just making their way into the kitchen to eat when Hermione returned. Hermione joined them for dinner and Draco told her what they'd decided to tell her about the case. Hermione told them she was arranging a meeting for the following evening and she agreed not to mention the possibility of two killers to the Death Eaters. Things would be bad enough without letting on there might be two different people out to get her followers.

**[][][][][]**

The Death Eater meeting was a lot tenser than any other that had been held since Hermione took charge. The normal feeling of support was sorely lacking and Hermione could sense an undercurrent of dissatisfaction that wasn't normally present. She was acutely aware that one wrong move could cost her dearly and the loyalty she'd built up over the past few years could disappear in an instant if she handled things in the wrong way.

"What exactly are you doing about this?" Parkinson demanded. "Is it even safe for us to leave our homes?"

"I promise you all I'm doing everything in my power to find whoever is responsible for these deaths. And I swear when I do find the culprit they'll be severely dealt with." Hermione answered firmly, wanting to quash the nerves she could sense around the room. "And as for being safe, I do urge caution. Everyone who has been killed met their end in a dark alleyway late at night. Try to avoid being in dark alleyways on a night. I refuse to believe whoever is doing this is smarter than my Death Eaters. Don't give the killer a chance to find you easily, don't be an easy target. If we're careful he'll have to come after us, and then he'll slip up and we'll catch him."

Hermione breathed more easily as her words looked to have registered with people. A lot of her followers had lost the looks of pure panic that they were wearing, and were now looking determined. Hopefully with everyone on their guard the killer would find it harder to strike and hopefully it would prompt a mistake from them.

As Hermione continued to install faith in her followers, Draco, Blaise and Theo surreptitiously scanned the room. The trio were looking for anyone who was acting strange, but apart from a few Death Eaters who didn't seem totally convinced by Hermione's words, everyone seemed normal. By the time Hermione had finished speaking, even those who seemed worried looked to have been reassured. If their theory was right and a Death Eater had killed the men on Saturday, he was doing a good job of acting innocent.

The Death Eater in question was indeed doing a good job of playing the part of a loyal follower. When Hermione was speaking he was nodding along with the vast majority of her followers and when everyone cheered when she announced she would make the killer pay, he joined in. Looking at him, no-one would suspect he was anything other than loyal to The Dark Lady.

It wasn't until the Death Eaters had been dismissed and they were well clear of Malfoy Manor, that the wizard revealed his true colours. As normal after a meeting the vast majority of the Death Eaters headed to The Dark Mark for a drink. Targeting the Death Eaters he felt weren't as happy under The Dark Lady's rule, he promised them that if they pledged their loyalty to him he could protect them. He could lead them against The Dark Lady and defeat her, he would lead the Death Eaters back to their former glory. He would ensure they did what they had signed up to do, namely, kill anyone who stood in their way. Even if the person who happened to be in their way was The Dark Lady herself.


	23. Squashing A Troublesome Bug

Draco was in his office, finishing off the last of his work for the day, when his secretary poked her head around the door. Draco assumed she was letting him know she was leaving for the day, but instead she told him there was a wizard demanding to see him.

"Tell him to come back tomorrow." Draco said. He was nearly ready to go home, and didn't want the delay of having to deal with someone who showed up at his office without an appointment.

"I tried that." His secretary sighed. "He says it's an emergency."

"Did you get this bloke's name?" Draco asked.

"Pucey. Adrian Pucey."

Draco's head shot up at the mention of his former schoolmate. Adrian was a few years older than him, but they still kept in touch and Adrian was also a Death Eater. He'd also been good friends with Marcus and Draco had seen how upset he'd been at their friend's funeral.

"Send him in." Draco told his secretary. "And you can go home, I'll lock up."

"Thank you Mr Malfoy." His secretary smiled, before leaving the office.

She returned a few minutes later with Adrian in tow, and after checking if they wanted anything she left. Draco had moved out from behind his desk and after greeting Adrian, the pair settled down in a couple of chairs in front of Draco's desk.

"So Adrian, what can I do for you?" Draco asked.

"Is it safe to talk here?" Adrian looked around the room, as he rubbed his left arm where the Dark Mark was hidden under his shirt sleeves.

"It's perfectly safe." Draco reassured his friend.

"I wasn't sure how to get in touch with The Dark Lady without going to her office, so I decided to come to you." Adrian began. "At least this way if I've been spotted I can claim we were just arranging to have a drink or something. I can use our friendship to explain my presence here."

"Why exactly do you need an explanation as to why you're here?" Draco frowned. "And why are you so worried about someone spotting you anyway?"

"I don't want to end up dead, but I wanted to warn you what was going on." Adrian replied.

"What do you want to warn me about?" Draco asked, wondering if Adrian was going to provide the clue they needed to find the rogue Death Eater. Almost a fortnight had passed since they'd decided that a Death Eater had gone rogue, but they still had no clues as to who it was.

"Last week I was in The Dark Mark, and I was approached by a Death Eater. Don't ask me who, because I don't know. He kept his mask on the entire time and the way he was speaking, I think he was disguising his voice." Adrian explained.

"What did this Death Eater want?" Draco questioned.

"He was recruiting people to rebel against The Dark Lady." Adrian answered. "He was picking people he thought might be disenchanted with the way things are going."

"Why did he pick you?" Draco demanded sharply. "Are you unhappy under The Dark Lady's command?"

"No, of course not." Adrian insisted firmly. "I think he tried me because of Marcus. He spent a few minutes talking about his death and how The Dark Lady failed to protect him."

"That's not true." Draco snarled angrily.

"I know it's not." Adrian said. "I know she had no reason to think any of us were in danger, and I know that now she knows the danger we're in she's doing her best to rectify the situation."

"She is." Draco nodded.

"Anyway, back to the reason I came to see you." Adrian said. "When I was approached, I didn't want to downright refuse him. I suspect that if I had, he would have done something to me."

"Probably." Draco nodded thoughtfully. Whoever had approached Adrian wasn't going to just accept a rejection and leave it at that, he wasn't going to risk anything getting back to The Dark Lady.

"Anyway, I agreed to hear him out." Adrian continued. "He gave me the time and place of a meeting, where he promised to reveal exactly what his intentions were."

"Have you been to the meeting?" Draco questioned, wondering how much Adrian could tell him.

"No, the meeting's not until this evening." Adrian replied. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a square of parchment and handed it to Draco. "There's the details. I'm not planning on going to the meeting, I want nothing to do with his plans. I'm happy to serve The Dark Lady."

"She'll appreciate your loyalty." Draco said as his mind worked overtime to come up with a plan. "I'll make sure she knows all about what you've done today. Although I do need one more thing from you."

"What?" Adrian frowned. "I've told you everything I know."

"I need some hair." Draco answered. "I can't show up at the meeting as myself, no-one will believe I'm dissatisfied with The Dark Lady. Also if you don't show up, whoever is running things might get suspicious and come after you."

"So you're planning on attending as me." Adrian stated as he plucked a few hairs from his head and placed them in the small vial Draco had summoned from his desk.

"Exactly." Draco said, placing the vial of hairs into his pocket. "You lie low tonight, and I'll go to the meeting in your place. And I can promise you this, Adrian, The Dark Lady will be very pleased with your show of loyalty."

"I just did what I felt was right." Adrian said as he stood up. "The Dark Lady is a great leader, what's happening isn't her fault."

"Thank you for coming to me." Draco said to his friend as he showed him out of the office.

Once Adrian was gone, Draco returned to his office and tidied his desk before locking up. He then headed down to the potions floor of the building and let himself into one of the labs. Searching the supply cupboard, Draco found the polyjuice potion and helped himself to a few vials. Putting the vials securely in his pocket, he left the lab and finished locking up the rest of the building.

When Draco arrived home, he spotted Hermione's bag, indicating his girlfriend was also back from work. Heading off in search of his girlfriend, he found her sitting at the desk in her study. In front of her was an open box of chocolates and she looked to be coating each chocolate in a liquid from a vial that was sitting beside her. Draco watched in puzzlement for a few minutes, before making his presence known and entering the room.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm just making a couple of adjustments to some chocolates." Hermione answered.

Now he was at the desk, Draco could see the lid of the box of chocolates and it revealed that they were fruit centres. It appeared that his girlfriend was coating them all in nut oil, which told Draco that whoever was getting the sweets had a nut allergy. Also sitting next to the chocolate box lid was a handwritten note. Moving to get a better angle, Draco read the note.

_**Rita. Thanks for all the great articles. You're the best. Harry.**_

"Ah, you're getting rid of Skeeter." Draco declared. "I'm assuming she has an allergy."

"Yes, a deadly one." Hermione replied. As she finished coating the last chocolate she pushed the box to one side and put the stopper back in the nut oil. "I'm afraid, I'm going to be busy with this tonight." She told her boyfriend. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Draco said. "I've made plans with the lads anyway."

He would tell Hermione about Adrian's visit later on, when he returned from the rebel Death Eater meeting. He wanted to get a more complete picture before he told Hermione what was happening. For now he would let her concentrate on getting rid of Rita, he would worry about the Death Eaters.

"I'm off for a shower and to get changed." Draco announced. "I'll leave you to your chocolates."

"Okay, I might be gone before you're finished, but hopefully I'll not be out long." Hermione said. "I'm sure we can still spend some time together later on this evening."

"I'm sure we can." Draco leant down and gave Hermione a quick kiss, before leaving the study and heading off the bathroom.

**[][][][][]**

By the time Hermione had finished with the chocolates, Draco was out of the shower. Saying a quick goodbye to her boyfriend, Hermione checked her glamour's were in place before apparating to the small village where Rita lived. Daphne's information on Rita's movements ensured that Hermione arrived at the reporter's house about ten minutes before she was due home.

Checking no-one was around to spot her, Hermione slunk up to Rita's front door and placed the laced chocolates on her doorstep. She'd included the note from Harry, so Rita would hopefully eat the chocolates without getting suspicious. She'd also cast a spell on the box so that when Rita opened it, an alert would come through to her wand. Then all Hermione had to do was get inside Rita's cottage and watch the reporter's demise with her own eyes.

After leaving the chocolates on the doorstep, Hermione fell back into the shadows and watched the cottage from a few feet away. Right on time Rita appeared in the front garden and Hermione watched as she picked up the chocolates. As Rita headed inside all Hermione could do was wait, and hope Rita decided to open the chocolates that evening. No matter when Rita ate the chocolates she would suffer an allergic reaction, but Hermione wanted to be there to witness the light leave the eyes of the annoying reporter.

Luckily for Hermione she only had to wait forty minutes before her wand vibrated in her pocket. Smirking at what was to come, Hermione left her hiding place and marched up to Rita's door. Knocking on the door, she hoped she'd managed to grab Rita's attention before she ate one of the chocolates. When the door opened a few seconds later, Hermione was pleased to find Rita still looking fine.

"Hello Rita." Hermione grinned at the shocked witch.

"What do you want?" Rita spat.

"Is that any way to treat your guests?" Hermione tutted as she pushed past Rita and barged into her house.

Hermione made her way into Rita's small front room, with the witch following behind her after slamming the front door.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rita stormed as she entered the front room. "You can't just barge in like this."

"I think you'll find, I just did." Hermione smiled sweetly at the reporter.

"What do you want?" Rita asked for the second time.

"Just to talk about your articles." Hermione shrugged. Looking around the room she spotted the freshly opened chocolates on the coffee table. "Oh, are those fruit creams? They're my absolute favourites."

"Well they're mine." Rita said, brushing past Hermione and picking the box up. "They're a present from someone who appreciates me."

Shooting Hermione a smug smirk, Rita picked out one of the chocolates and stuffed it into her mouth. Rita made satisfied little humming noises as she devoured the chocolate, before her eyes suddenly bulged out. Hermione watched as Rita dropped the box onto the floor and began clutching at her throat. When Rita's hand reached out for her wand that was lying on the coffee table, Hermione pulled out her own wand and banished the piece of wood into the bedroom. Now it would look as though Rita had left her wand in the bedroom and was unable to get to it to save herself.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked innocently. "Did my chocolates not agree with you?"

"You." Rita choked out as she fell to her knees.

"Yes me." Hermione nodded, moving so she was standing over Rita who was now struggling for air. "You shouldn't have crossed me Rita. Siding with Harry was a bad move. I once told you that if you crossed me again, I would crush you like the bug you are. I'm just fulfilling that promise."

With the last of her energy Rita looked up at Hermione as her words sunk in. The only person who'd ever threatened her about her illegal animagus form was Hermione Granger during the Triwizard Tournament. Hermione smirked as she saw realisation dawn on Rita's face. With a wave of her wand she let her glamour charms fall, revealing her true self.

"Surprise." She grinned down at the dying witch.

Rita looked up at Hermione, silently begging her for help with her eyes, but Hermione just carried on watching as the witch slowly lost her fight for life. Hermione remained watching Rita as the life drained out of her and she was left unmoving on the floor. The first time Hermione moved, was to check Rita actually was dead. She certainly looked it, but she needed to be sure.

Once Hermione clarified Rita was indeed dead, she set about removing all traces of her presence in the cottage. She'd been smart enough not to touch anything, so all she had to do was grab the chocolate box and summon the laced chocolates back into it. Hermione then shoved that box into her bag and brought out a fresh box. Opening the new box she placed it on the coffee table and grabbed the note she'd sent with the chocolates.

With one final glance around in case she'd missed anything, Hermione plucked a chocolate from the fresh box and popped it into her mouth. Taking one final look at Rita's prone body, Hermione callously stepped over the witch as she headed for the door. Using magic she let herself out into the night, and once she was a few streets away from the reporter's house she apparated back to the penthouse.

That was another problem out of the way, now Hermione just needed to find whoever was killing her Death Eaters and deal with them. Hopefully things could then go back to normal and she could concentrate on expanding her influence around the globe. There were still plenty of mudbloods around the world and Hermione wouldn't rest until they were all gone and the wizarding world was pure.


	24. The Rogue Death Eater Meeting

Draco stood in the shadows, looking at the abandoned warehouse where the rogue Death Eater meeting was due to be held. The meeting was due to begin in a few minutes and Draco was waiting until the last minute to drink the polyjuice potion and turn into Adrian. He had no idea how long the meeting would last and he didn't want to change back into himself in the middle of the meeting. If he did feel the meeting was dragging on and he needed some more potion, he had some in a bottle in his pocket. If needs be, all he had to do was fake a coughing fit and take a swig of the potion from the bottle.

Finally taking a drink of the potion, Draco waited for it to fully take hold before emerging from the alleyway where he was standing. Making his way towards the warehouse, Draco looked around for anyone else but the street was deserted. When he reached the door, he tried to open it but when it wouldn't budge, he knocked. Seconds later the door opened and a fully robed Death Eater stood in front of him.

"Mark." He barked out.

Rolling up his sleeve, Draco revealed Adrian's mark to the robed Death Eater. The Death Eater nodded, and stood back to allow Draco entrance into the warehouse. Entering the room, Draco found eight chairs arranged in a rough circle in the centre of the empty room. Half a dozen of the chairs were already filled with lower ranked Death Eaters. Draco recognised two of the men as being friends with Marcus, although personally he really didn't know them very well. He also didn't really know the other men at the meeting, he just knew that none of them had ever made a big impact within the Death Eaters.

"Sit down, Adrian." The robed Death Eater ordered Draco.

The robed Death Eater was clearly the one in charge, and as he sat down Draco tried to work out who he was. The couple of times he'd spoken wasn't enough to enable Draco to work out who he was dealing with. The silver mask he was wearing also wasn't enough for Draco to work out his identity, he knew the Death Eaters all had unique masks, but a lot of the low ranking ones had very similar designs. Draco also hadn't studied people's masks in detail, he would recognise a few people's masks like his fathers and friends, but that was it.

"I'm pleased to see everyone made it." The robed Death Eater began as he took his seat.

"This is everyone?" One of the other Death Eaters scoffed.

"For now." The wizard in charge answered. "All rebellions need to start somewhere."

"And all rebellions run the risk of failing." The same Death Eater said. "Why should we risk The Dark Lady's wrath to join you?"

"Because none of you are happy with how she's running things, if you were you wouldn't be here. I can offer you an alternative. Join me and I can bring the Death Eaters back to what they should be. With me in charge, the Death Eaters can once again become a force to be reckoned with. We can return to terrorising the wizarding world, not just sitting around while The Dark Lady plays at charming people."

"That all sound great, but who the hell are you?" Another Death Eater questioned. "We're not going to blindly follow someone hidden behind a mask, this could all be a set up."

"I have no problem revealing my identity." The robed Death Eater replied. Pulling off the mask, he threw it to one side and pulled down the hood of his robe to reveal his identity.

Draco was quite surprised to see Rabastan Lestrange was the wizard in charge. He'd always appeared quite loyal to Hermione, but maybe the death of his brother had changed things for him.

"Unlike The Dark Lady, I'm not hiding who I am." Rabastan announced. "If you join me, I will always be upfront with you."

"What exactly are you suggesting we do?" One of the Death Eaters that had been friends with Marcus spoke up. "We can't overthrow The Dark Lady with eight people."

"No, we can't. That's why we need to gather other supporters." Rabastan answered. "Obviously we'll have to do so quietly, but other will join us, I'm sure of it."

"What makes you so sure?" Draco asked, unable to resist questioning Rabastan. "The Dark Lady is very popular."

"With some." Rabastan sneered. "I can't imagine she's popular with the people whose friends she's let die. She's quite happy to let low ranked Death Eaters die. Unless any of her favourites were to be targeted, she won't attempt to stop this killer. If she really cared about all of us, she would have ended it by now."

"How?" Marcus's second friend asked. "She's doesn't know who's doing it."

"And you believe that?" Rabastan laughed. "The killer is likely someone from the Order, and she spent years with them. Who's to say she's not using us all and is really trying to bring us down. She could be behind all the deaths, and who knows how many people she'll have killed. Anyone of us could be next."

Draco expected at least one person to scoff at Rabastan and his foolish idea, but they mainly looked pretty convinced by his theory. The only ones who looked less than convinced were Marcus's two friends, they just looked worried. Draco suspected they were coming to realise they'd made a mistake by attending, but it was too late now. They should have done what Adrian had done and come to him, he could have protected them and ensured they were safe from Hermione's wrath, but as it was they were on their own and would have to deal with the consequences of attending a rogue Death Eater meeting.

"So, what exactly is your plan?" One of the more convinced Death Eaters asked Rabastan. "How do you plan on overthrowing The Dark Lady? Don't forget she's got plenty of support."

"The problem with The Dark Lady's main support system is their lack of experience." Rabastan replied. "The only real threat is Lucius, and I'm sure with the right persuasion even he would come around to our way of thinking. I've known him a long time, and he's a man of action, all this pussyfooting around must be boring him by now."

"And what about Draco?" Someone questioned. "There's no way he'll follow us."

"I'm not interested in Draco, or his little friends." Rabastan spat. "He's only so high ranking because he's shagging The Dark Lady and his friends are only involved because of their association with him. When the time's right, they'll go down with The Dark Lady. Now who's with me? Who's going to stand up with me and take back the Death Eaters?"

One by one Rabastan went around the Death Eaters and gathered their pledges of support. Neither of Marcus's friends looked over happy to be doing so, but they also pledged their support to Rabastan. When Rabastan turned to him, Draco also agreed to support him. It was obviously the only thing anyone could say to ensure they left the warehouse alive. Draco had no doubt that a negative response would have resulted in whoever had refused being killed.

"For the time being, keep your heads down." Rabastan told the group. "I'll inform you of the next meeting when I have a few more recruits, then we can start making plans. But for now, just go about your business like normal and The Dark Lady will never know what's going on."

Draco was quite happy with the timing of Rabastan's ending of the meeting. By his reckoning he would have enough time to leave the warehouse and disappear into the shadows before the polyjuice potion wore off and he returned to normal. Draco's reckoning was perfect and he was easily hidden in the shadows a few streets away from the warehouse when he returned to normal. Once he was back to himself, Draco pulled out his wand and headed home to talk to Hermione and inform her of what was going on.

When he arrived back at the penthouse Draco was unsure if Hermione was home. Finding no sign of his girlfriend in the front room or kitchen, Draco poked his head into her study. Finding that empty as well he headed on to the bedroom, which was where he found Hermione.

The room was dimly lit with a few candles and Hermione was lying seductively on the bed. She was wearing an emerald and black bra and knickers set, which showed off every inch of her body. Draco's eyes scanned appreciatively over her body, before he finally settled his attention on her face.

"Hi." Hermione smiled brightly. "I've been waiting for you, I thought we could have a bit of fun."

"I take it your evening went well." Draco remarked as he fully entered the room.

"It did." Hermione grinned. "But I can tell you all about it later. Right now I want action, not talking."

"Action sounds great, but there's something important I have to tell you." Draco said, perching on the side of the bed.

"Does it have to be dealt with right this second?" Hermione questioned as she sat up and ran her fingers through Draco's hair. "Would waiting an hour or two to tell me really make a difference?"

Draco thought about it as Hermione began kissing and nipping at his neck. Truthfully he doubted she would act immediately regarding the rogue Death Eaters. Knowing Hermione she would first decide how to proceed, before confronting the traitors. Waiting a few hours to inform her of the rebellion wouldn't make any difference to how swiftly she dealt with the problem.

"Okay I'll wait, but you have to remember that it's what you wanted." Draco told his girlfriend. "You told me to wait to tell you."

"Don't worry, I'll not get mad at you." Hermione chuckled, knowing exactly what Draco was worried about. "I will however get mad if you don't get undressed and join me in bed."

Draco turned his head and gave Hermione a deep kiss, before pulling away and grinning at her. "Whatever you desire, My Lady."

While Hermione settled herself back in the centre of their large bed, Draco hurriedly stripped off his clothes. When he was clad only in his black boxers, Draco joined his girlfriend on the bed. Draco had barely settled on the silk cover when Hermione pounced on him, straddling his hips and pinning him to the bed.

"Someone's keen." He chuckled as Hermione's hands roamed over his body as if touching him for the first time.

"Someone has to take charge, and you're being decidedly slow tonight." Hermione muttered against his skin.

Grinning wickedly, Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione and before she could react he flipped them over so she was lying underneath him. When she opened her mouth to protest, he smothered it with his, taking advantage and plunging his tongue inside. Hermione melted into the kiss and he felt any arguments she might have put up disappear as they kissed.

"You know I like to be in charge." He told her when they finally separated for air.

"You'll get no complaints from me." Hermione grinned up at him. "I'm entirely at your mercy."

"That's just the way I like you." Draco smirked, before covering her lips with his again.

As they kissed Draco's hands skimmed lightly over Hermione's body, teasing her with only the barest of touches to her warm skin. Within a few moments, Hermione was wriggling under his touch, trying to get him to touch her with a firmer caress.

"You really need to learn patience." Draco laughed lightly, as he moved his lips down Hermione's neck.

"I'm not a patient person." Hermione retorted.

"Liar." Draco looked at Hermione in amusement. "You're one of the most patient people I know. Just look at how elaborate and slow moving your plan for world domination is."

"That's different." Hermione moaned as Draco returned his attention to her neck. "I'm not patient when I'm with you. Please Draco, stop teasing and just give me what I want."

"And what exactly is that?" Draco asked, once again lifting his head to look at his girlfriend.

"You." Hermione answered, looking directly into his stormy grey eyes. "I want you to take me, fast and hard."

A low growl rumbled from Draco's chest as he surged forward and captured Hermione's lips in a brutal kiss. Kissing fiercely, he let his hands trail down her body and when they reached the lacy fabric of her bra, he viciously tore the material from her body. Her knickers received the same rough treatment, as Draco sought to get her naked as quickly as possible. His own underwear didn't get torn off, but Draco did shed the black material as quickly as humanly possible.

"Are you sure this is how you want it?" Draco checked with Hermione as he rubbed himself against her.

"Yes."

With Hermione's confirmation, Draco aligned himself at her entrance. In one swift motion he was buried as deep inside her as it was possible for him to get. After a brief pause, he slowly pulled back out of Hermione, before slamming back inside again and finding a decent rhythm. Hermione moaned wantonly at the sensations and wrapping her legs around Draco's hips, she clawed at his back and begged him for more. Draco happily obliged his girlfriend and increased his pace, causing them both to moan loudly.

For a long time the only sounds in the bedroom were the couple's moans and groans, and the bed knocking against the wall, as they moved ferociously together. Finally Hermione's screams of pleasure joined the noises in the room, as she exploded around Draco. Draco's own cries followed Hermione's as he also found his release moments after his girlfriend.

"That was amazing." Hermione panted, once she'd recovered enough to talk.

"I wasn't too rough, was I?" Draco checked as he moved off his girlfriend and settled beside her.

"No, it was exactly what I wanted." Hermione smiled, snuggling into Draco's chest.

Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione, and stroked his fingers through her brunette curls. For a while they lay content in each other's arms, but the touching and stroking soon took on a more sexual tone and a second bout of lovemaking got under way. This time the couple took their time and the event was much more drawn out than the first time that evening.

Eventually the couple were too exhausted for any more action and they settled down to talk. Hermione began by telling Draco about her trip to see Rita, before Draco informed her of where he'd been. Hermione was furious at the mention of a rebellion, but by the time the pair had finished talking she'd already decided how to deal with the traitors amongst them. Bellatrix should have served as a warning of what traitors should expect, but clearly a few people needed reminding just how deadly The Dark Lady truly was. And Hermione fully intended to show the traitors, and everyone else, just what happened when you betrayed the daughter of the darkest wizard in the world.


	25. Punishment for the Traitors

As not to arouse Rabastan's suspicions, Hermione waited a full week to call a Death Eater meeting. In that time Hermione concentrated on her business and revelled in the fact Rita was no longer a thorn in her side. The reporter had been found the day after her death and the investigation concluded her death was an unfortunate accident. The official conclusion was that somehow traces of nut were in her box of chocolates, and her resulting death was a tragic accident. Everyone seemed convinced by the conclusions, and even Harry and the Order didn't suspect any involvement from The Dark Lady.

Another surprising side effect from Rita's death was that Daphne got a promotion at The Daily Prophet. Daphne was now covering smaller stories for the paper and she'd promised to ensure any time The Dark Lady was mentioned it would be in a positive light. So far she'd only written one article, but Hermione was pleased that she had another loyal supporter amongst the press.

One thing Hermione was less happy about though, was the loss of yet another Death Eater. The previous evening Blaise and Theo had paid her a visit to inform her that another killing had taken place. They also said that in their opinion the killer was Rabastan, not the Order member that had killed Marcus and a couple of others. Looking at the evidence, Draco agreed with his friends. In his opinion Rabastan had killed the Death Eater when he'd refused to join his rebellion.

On the day of the meeting, Hermione and Draco spent the afternoon preparing for the evening. Hermione wanted Draco involved in what was going to happen to Rabastan and had promised her boyfriend a chance to show everyone why he was such a top ranking Death Eater. In anticipation, Draco had been researching a few nasty spells to use on the rogue Death Eater. Hermione had also been looking up a few spells, but she'd also been speaking to Severus and ensuring he brought a little something to the meeting.

"Are you ready to go?" Hermione asked Draco, as she emerged from the bedroom in her full Dark Lady attire.

"Yeah, I'm all set." Draco replied, eagerly jumping up from the sofa.

"I take it you've got something special lined up for Rabastan." Hermione remarked at her boyfriend's eagerness.

"Oh yes, he's going to suffer." Draco grinned evilly.

"Yes, he is." Hermione agreed. After what had happened with Bellatrix there was no way she was going easy on someone else who had betrayed her, Rabastan was in for a whole world of pain.

When the couple arrived at the Manor, Hermione sent Draco into the meeting ahead of her while she had a quick word with Lucius. Lucius confirmed that Rabastan and all the Death Eaters that were part of his rebel group were present and had no idea what awaited them. He also confirmed that Severus had what she wanted, and was ready to act when she was ready for him.

"Excellent, let's get this meeting started." Hermione grinned as she led the way to the dining room.

Since the point of the meeting was secret, the long table was in the centre of the room. Instead of immediately getting Lucius to vanish the table, Hermione left it where it was. They could hold a brief meeting, before the punishments began. As she entered the room, Hermione quickly spotted Rabastan sitting at the bottom of the table. She had to hand it to the wizard, for someone who was in the middle of organising a rebellion to usurp her he looked pretty calm and collected.

As Hermione settled down at the head of the table, she noticed a space amongst her top followers. When she realised the seat belonged to Alecto Carrow, she frowned in confusion. The Carrow's were always present at her meetings and took pride in the job she'd handed them of ensuring no-one was late or missing.

"Where's Alecto?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know My Lady." Amycus replied with a frown. "I haven't seen her today."

Hermione could hear the concern in the usually stoic Death Eater's voice. Amycus was clearly worried about his sister and with everything that was going on, Hermione didn't blame him. She was worried herself as she knew Alecto wouldn't miss a meeting without a good reason. Just in case Alecto was just running late, Hermione sent a message to her via her mark. As expected she got no response and Alecto didn't suddenly appear at the Manor.

"Was there anything happening at the Ministry when you left?" She asked Blaise and Theo. "Had the Aurors received any new call-out or anything?"

"Not when we left." Blaise answered. "They were still busy working on the case from earlier in the week."

"When the meeting's over I want you to head back to work and check that there's nothing going on." Hermione told the pair. "If there's nothing happening, I want you to gather a team and search for Alecto."

"Why don't they leave now?" Parkinson asked. "Why wait around here when they could be looking for her and potentially saving her life?"

"You know as well as I do, that it's too late for that." Amycus hissed at the older wizard. "Alecto's dead, she has to be. If she was alive she would be here, or would have sent word."

"I'm sorry Amycus." Hermione said to the wizard. "We will find her, and I promise we will find the person responsible and make sure they pay for what they're doing."

"I know, you will." Amycus nodded. "Thank you."

"Since we're on the topic of Death Eaters being killed, I might as well skip to the point of this evening's gathering." Hermione announced. "Everyone stand up and move away from the table."

While everyone was backing up from the table, Hermione shot a silent spell at the dining room doors, making escape impossible. Once everyone was clear of the table, Lucius brandished his wand and the table and chairs vanished. Another flick of his wand brought back seven chairs, six of them in a line and one of them facing the other six.

"Rabastan, would you care for a seat?" Hermione called, standing behind the lone chair.

Rabastan paled as Hermione singled him out, and his head spun around wildly as he searched for an escape route. None was forthcoming however as Hermione pulled out her wand and cast the imperius curse upon him. She then ordered him to sit down, and the wizard was left with no choice but to obey The Dark Lady. The second he was seated Hermione magically restrained him, and dropped the imperius curse.

"Oh Rabastan, it looks like someone's being naughty." Hermione tutted. "I thought the treatment your sister-in-law received would have made you think twice about betraying me."

"I don't know what you're going on about. I haven't betrayed anyone." Rabastan argued.

"I would say holding secret meetings to usurp me was betraying me." Hermione retorted. "Not to mention killing three of my Death Eaters."

"How do you know?" Rabastan spat. It was clear that somehow The Dark Lady knew everything, so he saw no point in trying to deny it.

"Some people are loyal to me." Hermione answered. "You really should have been more careful about who you approached, Rabastan. One of them proved themselves to be very loyal indeed."

"I don't think so." Rabastan laughed. "They all showed up to my meeting and they all pledged their loyalty to me."

"No, they didn't." Hermione said, before turning her back on Rabastan and looking around at her other Death Eaters. "I will give everyone who was at Rabastan's meeting a chance to come forward now. Anyone who steps forward voluntarily will be saved a lot of pain and suffering."

Hermione waited for a response and for a while she thought no-one was going to take up her offer. Eventually two Death Eaters slowly emerged from the crowds. Hermione knew they were the two wizards who were friendly with Marcus and according to Draco were the most reluctant to join Rabastan. Pointing to the seats she waited until they were sitting down, before magically restraining them.

"Is that all?" Hermione called. When she got no response, she nodded to Draco and his friends and they slipped into the crowds. When they emerged they were accompanied by the four other Death Eaters that had been at the meeting. "You four really should have come forward sooner." She said as the men were placed on the seats and she restrained them.

Once the men were all stuck in their chairs, Hermione turned her attention back to Rabastan. Calling for Severus, she ordered him to administer Rabastan with veritiserum. Rabastan put up a fight, but Severus was good enough to force him to drink a healthy dose of the truth serum.

"Now Rabastan, I don't care why you decided to rebel, or why you thought you could get away with it." Hermione began. "What I want to know, is how many Death Eaters you've killed. Tell me, now."

"Three." Rabastan answered, although everyone could see he didn't want to admit it.

"Why?"

"They refused to join me. They wouldn't even hear me out. I knew I had to kill them to stop them from telling on me."

"Have you approached anyone since your first meeting?" Hermione questioned. Since it was a week since the meeting she wanted to ensure she had all the traitors caught.

"Only the coward I had to kill the other day." Rabastan sneered.

"Am I missing anyone else who agreed to join you?" Hermione checked, just in case he'd approached someone who hadn't attended the first meeting.

"Yes, you are." Rabastan smirked, although he didn't elaborate.

"Who?"

Rabastan tried not to answer, but the veritiserum was too strong and before he knew it he was blurting out the name of the other person at the meeting. "Adrian Pucey."

Hermione nodded, before turning her back on Rabastan and facing her Death Eaters again. "Adrian is the loyal Death Eater that informed me of this treachery." She announced, glaring at the six Death Eaters sitting in front of her. "Anyone of you six could have come to me, and then you wouldn't be sitting here about to lose your life."

The six Death Eaters all paled as Hermione faced them with her wand in her hands. Hermione taunted them for a minute, walking up and down in front of them as she lectured them about their lack of loyalty.

"Now two of you had the decency to come forward quickly, meaning your deaths will be quick." Hermione announced. "As for the rest of you, you'll suffer first."

With a quick flick of her wrist, Hermione dispatched the first Death Eater, before turning to the second one and ending his life. She then turned to the other four, with an evil smirk on her face. One by one she cast the Cruciatius curse on them, holding it until they screamed in agony. Hermione gave the four Death Eaters a moment to recover, before she ruthlessly dispatched them.

"Now Rabastan, it's your turn." Hermione declared with glee. "Get up."

When he didn't obey, Hermione gestured for Draco to move him. Draco stepped forward and hauled Rabastan off the chair and threw him onto the floor. Once the chair was empty, Hermione walked over and settled herself down.

"Have fun, Draco." Hermione told her boyfriend.

"I will." Draco grinned at Hermione before, turning to Rabastan and smirking down at the older wizard. "Sectumsempra!" He cried.

Hermione had never heard of the curse her boyfriend had cast, so she leant forward to see what happened. When the curse hit Rabastan, he screamed in pain and Hermione saw deep cuts covering his body. The cuts were so severe that Hermione thought Rabastan was going to die from his wounds, but before she could intervene and stop Draco, her boyfriend cast a few healing spells on the dying Death Eater. The curses were enough to ensure Rabastan wouldn't die from his injuries, but Draco wasn't finished yet. Raising his wand again, he cast the Cruciatius curse on Rabastan. The previous spell only increased the pain Rabastan felt and a few of the healed wounds re-opened and there was soon a pool of blood around the Death Eater.

"That's enough Draco." Hermione called, ending the torment her boyfriend was inflicting on Rabastan.

Instantly Draco stopped the torture and stepped back so he was standing next to his father. Hermione looked down at Rabastan, checking he had survived. Satisfied he was still breathing, Hermione turned to Lucius.

"Lucius, do you want to finish him off?" She asked.

"With pleasure." Lucius smirked, stepping forward so he was standing next to Rabastan. "As if I would ever side with you." He sneered at the wizard as he kicked at him so he was facing upwards. "My loyalty is with The Dark Lady, and everyone should remember that. Goodbye Rabastan."

With a dramatic flourish Lucius pulled out his wand and aimed it at Rabastan. Smirking evilly at the injured man, he threw the killing curse at him to end his life. Once Rabastan was dead, he nodded at Hermione and stepped back into his place amongst the other Death Eaters.

Hermione took a minute to let what had happened sink in before she spoke and dismissed the Death Eaters. By using Draco and Lucius to help her deal with the threat, she was hoping that everyone would see that she wasn't running things alone. If anyone wanted to take her on, they would have to deal with both Draco and Lucius as well and after that display she knew both wizards had just shown exactly what they were capable of.

"I take it you're pleased with how things went." Lucius remarked, once the Death Eaters had left.

"I am." Hermione nodded. "Thank you for your help, Lucius."

"I was happy to be of assistance." Lucius replied. "It's important that everyone knows I'm on your side, and I won't be swayed to go against you."

"I appreciate your support." Hermione smiled at Lucius, before turning to her boyfriend. "And you were brilliant. Where did you find that spell you used?"

"Severus gave it to me." Draco answered. "It's one of his own inventions."

"Impressive." Hermione mused, wondering what other spells her former Potions Professor had invented and if any of them could be of use to her in the future.

"Well, I need to get cleaned up in here." Lucius said, interrupting the couple.

"I'll help you." Draco offered. "With all of us pitching in, we can be cleaned up in no time."

Draco was right and in less than an hour the dining room was spotless and back to normal, leaving Draco free to go and find his friends and join in the search for Alecto. Hermione fully expected them to find her body, and she vowed that finding whoever was killing her Death Eaters would be her priority from now on.


	26. Final Preparations

**A/N – I would like to thank everyone for their amazing support of this story. I really appreciate all the feedback I receive. **

**I also just want to mention that this chapter flicks forward a few months.**

* * *

Putting aside her paperwork, Hermione began to tidy up her desk. She and Lavender were off for an inspection of the magical creature's sanctuary, and the shopping centre. Both the magical creatures sanctuary and the shopping centre were almost up and running after months of hard work. As far as Hermione knew the only thing left to do at the sanctuary was source the animals, and last time she'd spoken to Charlie he was making good headway with that. As for the shopping centre, it was just undergoing last minute alterations and within the next couple of weeks they would be handing over keys to all those that had leased a shop.

While Hermione's business ventures were going well, things with the Death Eaters were less than satisfactory. Despite all their efforts the person killing her Death Eaters was still at large. As feared Alecto's body had been found and in the months since then she'd lost three more wizards. However the attacks were too spaced out and had no pattern, so it was particularly hard to find the culprit. Hermione was still convinced it was someone in the Order, but proving it was another matter. Since they never knew when another attack was coming it was impossible to put tails on every member of the Order. Hermione just had to hope that whoever was killing her Death Eaters would slip up enough to give them a clue as to who they were. If not, she would be forced to resort to using her father's tactics and that was something she was hoping to avoid unless strictly necessary.

Putting thoughts of killers out of her head, Hermione grabbed her jacket and bag and made her way out of her office. Lavender was in the outer office, already wearing her jacket and her bag was sitting on her desk.

"Have I kept you waiting?" Hermione asked.

"No." Lavender shook her head.

"Let's get going then." Hermione said.

Lavender grabbed her bag and the pair left the office, chatting happily as they made their way outdoors. Once they were outside they headed to a nearby apparition point and apparated to the magical creatures sanctuary.

"Wow, this place is looking amazing." Lavender remarked.

The once barren land now housed dozens of different sized enclosures, just waiting for their animals. There was also a large white building, which housed the offices for the staff, a few indoor breeding rooms and a classroom for when children from school came to visit.

"Yes, it is." Hermione agreed. "Let's go inside so Charlie can give us a tour."

Since the visit was pre-arranged, Charlie was waiting in the reception area when Hermione and Lavender entered the building. After exchanging greetings with the two witches, he took them of a tour of the building, showing them all the sights and where everything would be located once they were set up.

"Have you thought about staff yet?" Hermione asked as they wandered around the building.

"I have a few people in mind." Charlie replied. "I'm making a list, I thought we could discuss it when I've finished."

"Of course." Hermione nodded. "Just let me know when you're ready."

"Do you want me to hire some sort of teacher?" Charlie inquired as they entered the classroom and he showed Hermione around the large room.

"I'm not sure if that's necessary. I've spoken to Lucius and we're going to arrange trips with Hogwarts as well, but obviously they'll be bringing their own Professor. As for the younger students, they'll also be coming with a teacher of some sort but I was thinking one of the staff from here could be on hand to deal with the actual lessons." Hermione replied. "Of course if you're not happy with that, we can hire some sort of teacher."

"We'll try it your way first." Charlie said, after briefly debating the options in his head.

After finishing off the tour of the building, Charlie took Hermione and Lavender outside and gave them a tour of the enclosures. As they toured the grounds, he told Hermione about what animals he was hoping for and the enquiries he'd made. Hermione was impressed with how many animals Charlie was looking into getting. If all his plans came off the sanctuary, it was going to be very impressive.

"I've also got first refusal on some dragon eggs from my old sanctuary." Charlie told Hermione as they started to head back to the offices. "Before I get any though, I need staff in place and some more equipment."

"Get any equipment you want, and we can start getting staff as soon as you're ready." Hermione answered.

Once they arrived back at the offices, Hermione and Lavender said goodbye to Charlie and headed to the shopping centre. Like the magical creatures sanctuary, the shopping centre was also looking very impressive. The building that was once pretty old and dilapidated had been totally revamped and now looked brand new, Hermione just hoped the inside looked as good as the outside.

When the two witches entered the building there was a few workmen around, doing last minute jobs. Hermione greeted a couple of them, but saw no sign of Vince, who was supposed to be in charge. Figuring they'd run into him as they had a look around, Hermione and Lavender started their tour.

"Do we have many empty units?" Hermione questioned as they walked around and checked out the building.

"Half a dozen or so." Lavender replied. "But a couple of them have interested parties."

"Did Gringotts ever sign up?" Hermione asked.

A few weeks ago the bank had enquired about opening a small branch in the shopping centre, but they'd encountered a few problems. The goblins in charge of the bank wanted a three story unit, which wasn't a problem as some units were two storeys and a small handful took up three. However the bank wanted to bring a dragon with them to guard any money they would have stored in the premises, and that was something Hermione couldn't agree to. She couldn't risk the safety of the shoppers and other shop owners to accommodate Gringotts dragon. If somehow it escaped the bad publicity could totally ruin everything she'd worked so hard for.

"They did." Lavender nodded. "They leased the big unit in the far corner of the building."

"What about their dragon issue?" Hermione asked. "Last time I spoke to them, they were refusing to budge on the topic."

"They've found an alternative way of guarding their money apparently." Lavender replied. "The goblin who signed the paperwork said they were offered help by an outside security firm. This security firm will ensure the money is safe and can't be accessed by anyone other than a Gringotts employee."

"I'll have to thank the security firm." Hermione said. "Having a Gringotts branch here is a major draw. They've never operated outside of Diagon Alley before."

"I made a note of the firm, but its back at the office." Lavender replied. "It was called something protection, some sort of gemstone I think. I can't really remember."

"Emerald protection." Hermione suggested.

"I think so, that sounds familiar." Lavender said. "Do you know the firm?"

"It's part of Draco's company." Hermione answered. "It's the firm he uses to secure his offices and buildings."

"So Draco was the one that ensured that Gringotts would rent a unit off you." Lavender smiled. It was obvious to anyone how much Draco loved The Dark Lady, and this was just further proof of what he'd do to ensure she was happy.

"It would seem so." Hermione said. "I'll have to thank him later."

Still talking about various shops and businesses that had rented a shop, Hermione and Lavender carried on their tour. When they'd toured practically the whole place and still Hermione hadn't spotted Vince, she called for one of the workmen and asked him about his boss.

"He's probably out the back." The wizard told Hermione. "There's a bit of work outside that was just finished, he's probably checking it's okay. He likes to be thorough and make sure everything is at a standard he's happy with."

Hermione smiled at Vince's good work ethic. Both he and Greg had proved valuable to her and she had plenty more work lined up for them. Her school idea was starting to spread into Europe, and she planned on having the pair of them travel and scout out suitable buildings and draw up plans for the schools.

"Let's head outside and see if we can find him." Hermione said to Lavender. "I just want to double check everything's on schedule before we leave."

The workman pointed Hermione and Lavender in the right direction and the two witches set off outside. The back of the shopping centre was for staff use only and would basically be used for deliveries and stuff like that. When the pair first left the shopping centre they couldn't see any sign of Vince.

"Vince." Hermione called.

Not getting any response, Hermione decided to check around the side of the building. As she walked around the side of the building she passed the bins and something caught her eye. Turning to her right, she peered into the darkness between the large industrial bins. Right beside the wall her Death Eater was lying face down on the pavement.

"Vince." She gasped, spotting his prone body. Hermione immediately dropped down onto her knees and began checking for signs of life.

"What's wrong?" Lavender called as she spotted her boss kneeling down beside the bins.

"It's Vince." Hermione answered.

Lavender rushed over to where The Dark Lady was kneeling and gasped as she saw Vince's lifeless body lying beside the wall. Even though The Dark Lady was checking him over, they both knew he was dead.

"Is he gone?" Lavender whispered.

"Yes." Hermione replied sadly.

Standing up, she closed her eyes and sent for Lucius via his mark. It took nearly five minutes before there was a crack and Lucius appeared in the courtyard behind the shopping centre. By this time she'd sent Lavender inside to sit down as her P.A wasn't reacting well to seeing a dead body.

"My Lady." Lucius bowed his head respectfully as he waited to see what Hermione wanted.

"Vince is dead." Hermione said, her voice cracking with emotion. Losing her other Death Eaters had been tough, but this time it was personal. She hadn't just lost a follower, she'd lost a friend.

"What?" Lucius's grey eyes widened in shock as he stepped around Hermione and peered down at the wizard he'd known for so long.

"Obviously we're going to have to send for the Aurors, but I don't want Blaise and Theo showing up unprepared." Hermione said. "If they come, they need to know what to expect."

"I'll see to that." Lucius replied quietly. "I'll head back to the Ministry and talk to them. Someone's going to have to stay here, and because you found the body the Aurors will want to talk to you."

"I expected as much." Hermione said. "I can stay here until the Aurors arrive."

"What about Draco and Greg?" Lucius asked. "They need to know what's happened, as do Vince's parents."

"Can you handle that?" Hermione asked.

Lucius nodded and put a comforting arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Are you sure you're going to be alright until the Aurors arrive?"

"I'll be fine." Hermione whispered, leaning into Lucius slightly. "We just need to catch whoever is doing this. I don't want to lose anyone else."

Lucius gave Hermione a hug, before releasing her and heading back to the Ministry. Once she was alone, Hermione couldn't help but have another look at Vince. When the tears began to fall, she turned away from his body and wrapped her arms around herself. Hermione was aware that the Aurors could arrive at any second so she forced herself to stop crying and pull herself together. The tears had just dried when Lavender reappeared from the building, her own eyes red from the crying she'd done.

"Do we need to call the Aurors?" Lavender asked shakily, refusing to look anywhere near the bins.

"It's all in hand." Hermione replied. "We just have to wait for them to show up."

"I'm sorry." Lavender said, taking hold of Hermione's hand. "I know Vincent was your friend."

"He was." Hermione nodded, fighting back the tears.

Just then there was sounds of apparition and a team of Aurors descended on the shopping centre. Hermione explained what had happened and while a couple of Aurors checked over Crabbe, a couple more spoke to her and Lavender. While Hermione was speaking to an Auror, she spotted Blaise and Theo arrive at the scene. The pair looked as white as sheets and she had to look away when they headed over to where Vince was lying.

By the time Hermione and Lavender were finished with the Aurors, Blaise and Theo were standing waiting for them. Hermione gave both men a hug and checked they were alright. As she was checking on Blaise and Theo, there was more movement in the courtyard and Lucius appeared with Draco and Greg. Lucius ensured that both Draco and Greg got a final look at their friend, before they made their way over to the others. Greg was already in tears and Hermione vaguely registered Lavender taking hold of his hand before Draco wrapped her in his arms and she buried her head in his chest so the others couldn't see her tears.

"I think you lot should leave now." Lucius said quietly. "I'll stay here and check everything's okay."

"Make sure you keep us informed." Draco told his father.

"Of course." Lucius nodded.

With one final look towards their fallen friend, the group apparated away, while the Aurors continued their investigation.


	27. Hard Decisions

The warm early summer sun belied the gloomy atmosphere at the funeral of Vincent Crabbe. A whole load of people had shown up to pay their respects to young wizard who'd recently lost his life. Among the mourners were almost all of the Death Eaters, and a great deal of former Slytherins that weren't technically Death Eaters but supported the cause. Two people who fell into neither category, but had still chosen to attend the funeral were Charlie and Lavender. The two former Gryffindors were flanking a devastated Greg at his best friend's graveside.

While Charlie had mainly dealt with Greg at the magical creature's sanctuary, he had occasionally dealt with Vince and had liked him. Lavender of course had known Vince pretty well, considering he had an office in The Dark Lady's company and they often spoke about various projects that were either ongoing and coming up. However the main reason they had both attended the service was to provide support for Greg. Greg and Charlie were pretty friendly after working together on the magical creature's sanctuary, while Lavender was also pretty close to the former Slytherin and wanted to support him while he dealt with the loss of his best friend.

Hermione was obviously present in her Dark Lady glamour's, standing next to Draco and his parents. In the week since finding poor Vince, Hermione had been withdrawn and had spent a lot of time on her own. She was blaming herself for the death of one of her most loyal supporters, and she was trying to decide the best way to ensure no-one else lost their lives to whoever was killing her Death Eaters.

After the service everyone headed back to the Crabbe's house for a small wake. Hermione stayed long enough to pay her respects to the grieving family, before leaving with Draco, Lucius and Narcissa. The foursome headed back to the Manor, where Hermione announced she'd made a decision.

"I want to attack the Order." She told Draco and Lucius. "Someone in their ranks are killing my Death Eaters and I want to put an end to it."

"What about finding out who's actually doing the killings?" Draco asked. "I thought you wanted to know who was behind this."

"I did, but proof isn't exactly forthcoming." Hermione replied. "I've waited for proof, and in six months we haven't found any. As a result of that several people are dead who needn't be, including Vince."

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Lucius questioned.

"I want to launch a mass attack on the Order. I want every single person associated with them wiped out." Hermione answered with a snarl. "We're going to end this, and we're going to end it my father's way."

"But what about everything you've worked towards?" Draco asked his girlfriend. "Attacking the Order, will ruin all your plans."

"So be it. I won't sit back and let another of my Death Eaters die." Hermione retorted. "I should have just followed in my father's footsteps in the first place. Instead I messed around and people are dead because of me."

Draco opened his mouth to protest, but the glare Hermione shot him had him shutting it again. Draco knew his girlfriend well enough to know that arguing with her in the bad mood she was in would only lead to trouble. What he needed to do was wait until she was less emotional, before attempting to try and talk some sense into her.

"Lucius, I want you to start arranging everything." Hermione said, turning to her right hand man. "I want this attack to be as brutal as anything we've ever done. There won't be any survivors from this attack."

"Yes, My Lady." Lucius nodded respectfully.

Turning on her heel, Hermione swept out of the Manor's front room, leaving all three Malfoy's staring after her in shock. Seconds later the crack of apparition signalled she'd left the house.

"Damn." Draco cursed. "This is bad."

"Yes, it is." Lucius sighed. Walking over to the liquor cabinet in the corner he poured three drinks, before handing one each to his wife and son as the three sat down.

"Will Hermione really attack the Order?" Narcissa questioned.

"Not if I have my way." Draco replied. "An attack on the scale she wants needs time to organise. Father, if you can delay her as much as possible I can try talking to her. Hopefully I can make her see reason."

"I'll try my best to delay her, but it won't be easy. No doubt she can spot a stalling tactic a mile off."

"I might not need too long." Draco said. "I just need her to calm down enough to listen to me. If I can get through to her, I can make her see what a huge mistake she's making."

"And what if you can't get through to her?" Narcissa questioned. "What if she goes through with this attack?"

"Then we'll have to deal with consequences." Draco sighed, hoping it wouldn't be an issue.

He knew for a fact once Hermione had stopped blaming herself for what was happening, she would see that attacking the Order was a mistake. A mass attack would ruin everything she'd worked for, she'd no longer be considered a good person trying to help the wizarding world, she'd be viewed as the evil offspring of Lord Voldemort.

"I hope you can talk her out of it." Lucius told his son. "Hermione's worked too hard to let everything she's created be for nothing. What's she's done is phenomenal, and in a few years' time there'll be no mudbloods in the entire wizarding world."

"Exactly, she's achieving everything she wants without creating enemies. I don't want her to start making them now." Draco said. "Besides, Hermione loves what she's doing. She's got so many more plans for her business, she'll be heartbroken if she loses it all because of one rash decision."

"Stopping her plan to attack, isn't going to work long term, you know." Lucius warned his son. "You might be able to talk her round now, but unless we find the culprit, she's still going to want to attack sooner or later."

"I know." Draco sighed wearily. "At the minute, calming her down in the priority. But we will have to find a way to unmask the killer before they strike again."

**[][][][][]**

After changing out of the black dress she'd worn for the funeral earlier that day, Lavender dressed in a more cheerful light blue top and grey skirt. She was heading around to the Weasley's for a celebration dinner, but considering where she'd spent her day she wasn't really in the mood for celebrating. However as Ron's girlfriend it was expected for her to be there as the family celebrated Ginny finishing school.

In the last six month's Lavender's relationship with Ron hadn't been quite as rocky. Since the charity event in January he stopped complaining about who she worked for and several times he'd even shown an interest when she spoke about work. The only problem was the fact that Lavender was battling with a growing attraction to Gregory Goyle. The attraction had been growing steadily for the past few months and supporting him as he laid his best friend to rest only made Lavender realise she was beginning to fall in love with the former Slytherin. That was why, she had vowed that tonight she would break up with Ron.

Steeling herself for what was to come, Lavender apparated to the Burrow. Upon arrival, Ron greeted her with a quick kiss, before wandering off with Harry. Left to her own devices, Lavender grabbed a drink and was pleased to spot Charlie sitting in the front room.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Lavender asked, approaching Ron's older brother.

"Of course not, sit down." Charlie smiled at Lavender and patted the seat next to him. "How was Greg when you left him?" He asked. Lavender had taken Greg home from the wake when it was clear the event was becoming too much for him to handle.

"Not good." Lavender sighed. "I wouldn't have left him if I hadn't been due here."

"Is it safe to leave him alone?" Charlie questioned. "Maybe we should go and check on him."

"Before I left I called Daphne and her, Theo and Blaise came around to Greg's." Lavender explained.

"At least he's not alone." Charlie said.

Lavender nodded in agreement, but before they could say anymore Molly announced dinner was ready. As usual dinner was loud and boisterous, not to mention delicious. The main topic of conversation centred on Ginny, and what she was going to do with her life now she'd left Hogwarts. It soon became apparent that her plans consisted of moving in with Harry and finding a professional quidditch team to play for. She already had a couple of trials set up and was confident she would be playing professionally by the start of the new season.

"You're quiet Lavender." Ginny said, noticing her brother's girlfriend had been subdued all evening.

"Sorry, I'm just not really in a celebratory mood." Lavender replied. "I'm really pleased you've got some trials Ginny, but I guess after the day I've had it's hard to celebrate."

"Why? What sort of day have you had?" Ron asked.

"It was Vincent Crabbe's funeral today." Charlie told his brother. He knew for a fact that Lavender had told Ron where she was going, and it annoyed him that his brother had seemingly forgotten.

"I still don't see why you two went." Ron grumbled. "You shouldn't be at Death Eater funerals."

"Vince didn't have the mark." Lavender said softly. She'd had the same argument many a time with Ron, and knew exactly how we would respond.

"Maybe not, but he was a Slytherin and his best friend is shagging The Dark Lady." Ron retorted, saying exactly what Lavender had expected.

"That's ridiculous." Charlie tutted at his brother. "You can't go around judging people because of what house they were in at school."

"Why not?" Harry demanded. "They go around judging people by their blood."

"That's different, and you know it." Percy snorted. "Mr Malfoy has all the evidence that backs up his claims about muggleborns. Whereas you have nothing to prove that all Slytherins are Death Eaters."

"Death Eater or not, Crabbe got what was coming to him." Ron sneered. "They all did."

"I feel ill." Lavender announced, abruptly pushing her plate away and standing up. "I'm going home to lie down."

Leaving the kitchen, Lavender went through to the front room and flooed home. She immediately poured herself a glass of wine and sat down on the sofa to think. That evening's little display from Ron just proved she needed to end things, however since she hadn't done it she would just have to go back and break up with him the next day. With the decision final in her head, Lavender ran over what she would say to Ron. A few hours later she had a speech prepared in her head, now all she had to do was deliver it.

It wasn't until Lavender got up to go to bed that she realised she'd left her bag with her wand in at the Burrow. Bracing herself to face Ron, and potentially ending their relationship there and then, Lavender flooed back to the Burrow. The front room was deserted and judging from the low lighting in the house most people were in bed. Heading through to the kitchen, Lavender located her bag, down beside the fridge where she'd left it. Just as she'd picked up her bag and was about to return to the front room, she heard laughter floating in through the window from the back garden. Peering out the window, she couldn't see anyone but she could hear Harry and Ron talking. Clearly they were sitting out of view, under the kitchen windowsill.

"I wish you'd told me this sooner." Harry said. "I would have loved to have joined in."

"You can help me with the next one." Ron replied. "Now I've done Crabbe, I was thinking I might go after Goyle."

Lavender silently gasped as she realised what Ron and Harry were talking about. Doing Crabbe and going after Goyle could only mean one thing, Ron was the one killing the Death Eaters.

"Brill." Harry replied with a low chuckle. "Maybe then we can go after Zabini and Nott. And then Malfoy. I'd love to kill him."

"Me too." Ron agreed. "It's such a rush seeing the life drain from the scumbags, but it'll be even better with Malfoy. I have to admit Crabbe was by far the most satisfying kill."

Quietly backing away from the window, Lavender turned and fled back to the front room. Throwing some floo power into the fire she headed back to her flat, unsure of what to do now. Lavender paced the floor in her flat for nearly an hour before making a decision. Grabbing her bag and pulled out her wand and dissapparated with a crack, arriving at the front door of Greg's flat.

"Lavender." Greg stared in surprise when he opened the door and found her standing outside his flat on the verge of tears.

"I know who killed Vince."


	28. Loyalties Decided

Greg stared at Lavender in shock for several moments, before ushering her into the flat. On the coffee table in the front room, were several empty glasses, clearly leftovers from when Greg's friends had left. However Lavender was pleased to see that Greg himself didn't look to be drunk, while he'd clearly had a few drinks to drown his sorrows, he was still pretty sober.

"Did you mean it?" Greg asked as he perched on a chair while Lavender sat on the sofa. "Do you really know who killed Vince?"

"Yes, I know who killed him." Lavender sighed sadly.

"Are you sure you want to tell me?" Greg asked. He was guessing it was someone Lavender had seen that evening at the Weasley's, but he wasn't sure if she could live with the consequences if she told him their identity.

"Why wouldn't I want to tell you?" Lavender frowned. "That's why I'm here, to tell you who killed your best friend."

"I understand that, and I'm grateful." Greg smiled. Moving over to sit next to Lavender, he gently took hold of her hand. "But if you tell me who it is, I'm going to The Dark Lady. I'm not going to lie to you Lavender, she's furious and she will kill whoever is responsible for Vince's death."

Lavender bit her lower lip, wondering if she could reveal Ron's involvement knowing it would get him killed. However as much as she didn't want Ron to die, she couldn't let him get away with murder. He'd killed several people, not just Vince, and he couldn't be allowed to remain free to kill again.

"Maybe we could convince her to go to the Auror's." Lavender said hopefully.

"It's too late for that." Greg shook his head sadly. "Whoever is doing this has killed several of her supporters. It's personal for her, and she won't be satisfied with a jail sentence."

"I understand." Lavender whispered, surprised to find she actually did understand. She'd worked for The Dark Lady for nearly a year and she'd witnessed herself how much her boss blamed herself for these deaths, it made sense that she would personally want to deal with the perpetrator.

"You don't have to tell me, Lavender." Greg said softly. "I know this isn't the sort of thing you're used to doing. I won't hold it against you, if you can't tell me what you know."

"No, I need to tell you." Lavender insisted. "I won't be able to live with myself if I don't reveal what I know. If there's another death and I've kept quiet, I'll be to blame and I don't want that."

"You could always do what you suggested and go to the Aurors." Greg said. He knew that Lavender was still wary of telling him what she knew, and to be honest he couldn't blame her. She would effectively be sentencing whoever it was to death if she confided in him.

"I don't think that will work." Lavender sighed. "If I go to Kingsley and Tonks, I'm not convinced they'll do anything. And if I go to Blaise and Theo, they'll feel compelled to go to The Dark Lady, like you. Whereas if The Dark Lady went to the Aurors, they would just do as she said and arrest him."

"I don't know what to say, Lavender. I want to know who killed my best friend, but I don't want you to do anything you'll regret."

Lavender looked at Greg and smiled, he really was a lovely man. Even though his best friend, and other people he knew and was friendly with had been killed, he wasn't pressuring her into telling him what she knew. It would have been so easy for him to force her into revealing everything, instead he'd made sure she was okay with what she was going to do.

"It was Ron." She blurted. "Ron killed Vince and the others."

"Bastard." Greg hissed. "Sorry, I know he's your boyfriend." He added, shooting Lavender a sympathetic look.

"Not for much longer, I was going to break up with him anyway, this just confirms my decision." Lavender replied.

"We need to tell The Dark Lady." Greg announced. "I can do it, and leave your name out of it, if you want. You don't have to be involved."

"No, I'm coming with you." Lavender said. "I'm going to do the right thing."

"Thank you." Greg smiled at Lavender and squeezed her hand that he was still holding. "Thank you for giving me a chance to see vengeance done for Vince."

"Are we going to see The Dark Lady now?" Lavender asked.

"I don't think she'd appreciate us popping over now, it's after midnight." Greg chuckled. "I'll send an owl in the morning, and she'll probably want to see us then."

"Okay, I'll be back in the morning." Lavender said as she got up. "Goodnight, Greg."

"Night, Lavender." Greg got up and gave Lavender a peck on the cheek, before she left his flat and headed home.

No doubt both of them would have a restless night's sleep as they thought about talking to The Dark Lady, but they would definitely be restless for different reasons. Greg was looking forward to gaining revenge on the man who'd killed his friend, while Lavender was thinking about the fact she'd just handed Ron a death sentence.

**[][][][][]**

Hermione's head was thrown back on the pillow in pleasure, as her fingers tightened in the blond hair of her boyfriend. Draco ignored the pulling sensation in his scalp as he continued his work in between Hermione's legs. A bit of pain was worth it to have Hermione writhing underneath him and moaning loudly as her climax approached.

"Draco!" Hermione arched her back and cried out as her orgasm crashed through her body.

Draco continued to pleasure Hermione as she rode out her orgasm. When she went completely limp and collapsed back against the silk sheets on their bed, Draco gently kissed his way back up her body. Settling beside her, he watched her for several moments, until her brown eyes flickered open.

"Don't think I don't know what that was about." She said.

"I just wanted you to wake up with a smile on your face." Draco replied.

"You want me to forget about what's happening." Hermione retorted. "But, I can't Draco." She sighed. "I've tried, but I can't forget I'm responsible for all these deaths."

"No, you're not." Draco stated firmly. "If you'd carried on using force, then it might have been understandable to blame yourself for their deaths. But you didn't, you chose to go about things in a more peaceful way. The responsibility for these deaths lies solely on the bastard that killed them."

"How can you not blame me?" Hermione looked at Draco in bewilderment. "Because of me, one of your best friends is dead. If I'd never hired Vince to work for me, he never would have been targeted."

"You don't know that." Draco argued. "For all you know, he could have been targeted because he was a Slytherin. You know as well as I do what the Order think of Slytherin's. Vince was a target because of which house he was in at Hogwarts, it's as simple as that. You have nothing to do with it."

"I wish I could believe that." Hermione muttered.

Draco didn't get a chance to respond before they were disturbed by an owl pecking at the window. Draco hopped out of bed and went to let the bird in. He instantly recognised the owl as Greg's, and as he untied the note he wondered what his friend was writing to them for. Greg wasn't a natural letter writer, it was more common for him to make a floo call if he wished to contact either him or Hermione.

"Greg wants to come round this morning." Draco announced as he read the few hastily written lines his friend had sent. "He's bringing Lavender, and apparently they have major news."

"You deal with them." Hermione said as she got out of bed and headed towards the en-suite bathroom. "I'm having a shower and going to the Manor. I need to speak to Lucius about the upcoming attack. I want to move as soon as possible."

Draco shook his head as Hermione firmly closed the bathroom door behind her. It would appear he was getting nowhere in his attempts to make Hermione see sense. Hopefully he could have another try once he'd sorted out Goyle and Lavender.

Quickly getting dressed, Draco headed to the front room and travelled to Greg's using the floo network. A quick conversation established the reason Greg wished to see The Dark Lady, and Draco quickly flooed back home to catch Hermione before she left for the Manor. Luckily for Draco his visit to his friends had been quick enough that he caught Hermione as she was finishing applying her make-up and tying her hair up.

"Greg and Lavender will be here in ten minutes." Draco told Hermione. "And I think you'll want to hear what they have to say."

"I really should be going, can't you talk to them and give me the details later." Hermione said, checking her reflection one final time before standing up. As usual she was in her Dark Lady glamour charms, since she was leaving the privacy of their penthouse.

"Greg says they know who killed Vince and the others." Draco said, stopping Hermione in her tracks as she made to brush past him and leave.

"How?" Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She knew Draco didn't like her plan to attack the Order and she was hoping he wasn't trying to delay her plans with false leads.

"Lavender. She overheard a conversation last night." Draco replied. "I don't know who, or any more details. Greg just told me they knew who was doing it. I rushed back here to stop you from leaving."

"This information better be accurate." Hermione warned her boyfriend as she made her way to the front room.

Draco hoped the information was correct, as he hated to think what Hermione's reaction would be. If Greg and Lavender were coming to her with mere suspicions and guesswork, they would be in massive trouble. Not to mention the trouble he'd be in for stopping her from leaving.

Before Greg and Lavender arrived, Draco made some coffee and he was just placing it on the coffee table when the pair arrived at the front door. Draco let the pair in, and ushered them into the front room where Hermione was waiting. Hermione greeted them both with a terse smile as Draco made sure everyone had a cup of coffee.

"Let's not beat around the bush." Hermione said. "Draco told me you know who's being killing my Death Eaters."

"Yes, My Lady." Greg nodded. "Yesterday Lavender overheard Ron Weasley bragging about killing Vince."

"Is that true?" Hermione turned to Lavender.

Lavender nodded and proceeded to shakily recite everything that had happened the previous evening. By the time she was finished speaking Hermione was convinced she was telling the truth. Ron had been the one behind the killings of her Death Eaters.

"Can I ask why you're telling me?" Hermione asked gently. She appreciated Lavender coming to her, but she didn't understand why. "Surely you know what going to happen to Ron now. I may do things differently to my father, but I cannot let this go. He will be punished, and it will not be nice."

"I know all that." Lavender said quietly. "But when I discovered the truth, I had to make a choice. I chose you over Ron. My loyalty is with you."

"Thank you Lavender, I won't forget this." Hermione smiled at her P.A. She'd always hoped that if pushed Lavender would choose her over the Order, but it was still a pleasant surprise to find she had. "I do have one more favour to ask of you."

"Anything." Lavender replied.

"Don't break up with Ron." Hermione said. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do with him, so I might still need you. Is that okay?"

"I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee I'll be much help." Lavender replied honestly. "I may have chosen you, but Ron was my boyfriend, and I do still care about him."

"I understand." Hermione nodded.

Hermione actually understood better than Lavender could imagine. Despite all her protests to the contrary deep down there was a part of Hermione that still cared for Harry and Ron. While almost their whole friendship had been an act, she'd still managed to get attached to them. Even after all they'd done, she still couldn't find it in her heart to truly hate them. That was after all the reason they were still alive. If she was as uninterested in them as she claimed they would have been dead long ago, but they'd lived because of the small part of her that had valued their friendship. Now that was going to change, whatever attachment to Ron she had didn't matter, he was going to die at her hands. Her Death Eaters came first and it was time to avenge them.


	29. Plotting Revenge

The moment The Dark Lady entered the dining room at Malfoy Manor silence fell among the gathered Death Eaters. The talk had been about the attacks on their numbers and speculation was mounting over who would be next. Almost all the Death Eaters were worried about being the next victim as it was becoming increasingly clear that killer wasn't afraid of striking in broad daylight. Poor Vincent Crabbe had definitely been killed during the day, and while there was other people nearby as well.

"I have some news." Hermione announced as she took her place at the head of the table. "These last six months have been very hard on us all, but finally the torment is coming to an end. I know who has been killing our members, and I intend to take action against them."

"About time too." Parkinson called. "You should have taken action months ago."

"And who would I have taken action against?" Hermione snarled at the outspoken Death Eater. "The information about the killer's identity has only just come to light."

"We all know it'll be someone in the Order." Parkinson retorted. "You should have wiped the lot of them out months ago. Your father certainly wouldn't have let this happen. If he was here he would be so disappointed in you."

"Get up." Hermione yelled at Parkinson as she pushed her own seat back and strode down to the bottom of the table. "I've warned you before about speaking back to me." She said, pulling out her wand and poking it at Parkinson's throat.

Hermione was pleased to note the older wizard gulped nervously and started to shake slightly as she glared at him. She was half tempted to kill him there and then, but she had more important things to worry about right now. Dealing with Parkinson could wait, she had a plan to concoct to get rid of Ron. Pulling her wand back from Parkinson's throat, Hermione shot the Cruciatius curse at him. After torturing her Death Eater for a few minutes she released the curse and strode back to the head of the long table.

"Be under no illusions, I will not accept people talking to me like that." Hermione addressed the entire room, her voice low and deadly. "I will deal with the person killing my Death Eaters, but if there's any more instances of rebellion it won't be the Order you have to worry about, it'll be me."

Several of the Death Eaters looked nervous at Hermione's threat. She couldn't decide if they were just shocked to see her so angry or if they were worrying that they could be next in line to receive her wrath. After making it clear that she wasn't to be messed with, Hermione dismissed the Death Eaters and headed out of the room before half of them had even registered the meeting was over.

After leaving the dining room, Hermione headed to Lucius's study. By the time Lucius and Draco arrived in the room she'd removed her Dark Lady glamour's and had settled down in one of the comfortable chairs beside the fire. It had already been decided that the three would have a private meeting to try and come up with a plan to get rid of Ron.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked as he and Lucius settled down to talk to Hermione.

"I'm fine, Parkinson just annoyed me." Hermione sighed. "Even though he's right. This is all my fault. I should have gotten rid of the Order months ago."

"It's no good thinking about what could have been." Lucius said. "You made your decision based on what you thought was best, and let's face it getting rid of the Order wouldn't have allowed you to go about things the way you are. It would have taken you in a very different direction."

"Father's right, we need to forget about what we could have done and concentrate on what we're going to do now." Draco said. "We need to make a plan to get rid of Weasley."

"I have an idea about that." Hermione said. "Now Ginny and Harry have moved out of the Burrow he's the only one at home. I thought we could ensure Molly and Arthur are out for the evening and I can go and pay him a visit when he's alone. I'm sure we can arrange to make it look as though he died in a tragic accident."

"I'm sure I can help with Arthur and Molly." Lucius said. "It'll be easy to arrange some work related thing that Arthur needs to attend, and Molly can go with him."

"Thanks Lucius." Hermione smiled at the older wizard. "Now all we need to do is decide on a time. We also need to make sure Ron is alone at the Burrow, there's no point arranging this only to have him go out for the evening."

"Could Lavender help there?" Draco asked. "She could arrange to meet Ron at his place."

"I can ask her if she's willing to help." Hermione answered. "Although I was also thinking of telling her who I really am."

"Is that wise?" Lucius frowned. "What if she takes it badly?"

"That's why I was hoping you could be there. If Lavender takes the news badly, I thought you could obliviate her." Hermione told Lucius. She was perfectly capable of obliviating Lavender herself, but she wanted the assurance that a more skilled person had cast the charm so it didn't break. "But I want to give her the chance to know the truth. She's shown her loyalty to me by telling us about Ron, and I want to reward her."

"I'll be there whenever you want to tell her." Lucius replied. "And if it's okay, I also want to talk about what happens once Weasley has been dealt with. While we'll know the truth, no-one else will. The press are all over these killings and to be honest I'm facing a lot of flak as Minister. People aren't impressed the Aurors still haven't caught anyone."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully as she tried to think of a solution. Lucius was right, they needed to tell the press and public something. Obviously they had no proof to point the finger at Ron, and with what she was about to do to him she didn't want word of his involvement to leak out. What they needed was a scapegoat, someone to take the fall for Ron.

"How would you feel about setting up Kingsley?" Hermione smirked wickedly as her plan formed. "That would explain the Auror's lack of progress on the case, and keep the heat off you."

"I like it." Lucius nodded. "A well placed Imperius curse can have him convinced he's the killer. But how are we going to prove it? We've got no proof since it's not actually true?"

"He's going to be caught in the act." Hermione replied. "When he's caught with his latest victim, he's then going to confess to all the other murders."

"Just one thing, that plan needs a victim for it to work." Draco said. "Shackelbolt has to be caught actually killing, or just after for it to work. If he's caught before he kills it could be argued he never planned on killing."

"I have a sacrifice in mind." Hermione shrugged. "In fact he practically volunteered earlier."

"Parkinson." Lucius chuckled. He'd never liked the other wizard, and now he only had himself to blame for angering The Dark Lady.

"Yes. Kingsley is going to be caught killing Parkinson." Hermione said. "We just need to decide who's going to catch him."

"What about Blaise and Theo." Draco suggested. "They're Aurors, it would be believable."

"It would, but the Order are going to protest his innocence. We need someone who the Order won't question." Hermione replied. "Doesn't Mark Jordan, work as a M.L.E officer?" She asked Lucius.

Mark Jordan was the father of Lee Jordan, best friend to Fred and George Weasley, and Hermione knew he wouldn't be considered a supporter of hers. Like many people his mark was hidden and his loyalty to the dark a closely guarded secret.

"He does." Lucius confirmed. "And it would be very simple to have him and his partner catch Kingsley in the act."

"Perfect." Hermione grinned. "We have the beginnings of a great plan. Now all we need is a timescale and before we can determine that, I need to speak to Lavender."

"Just let me know when you're going to talk to her and I can be waiting." Lucius told Hermione as she and Draco rose to leave.

Hermione nodded and agreed to let her right hand man know when she would need him. Hopefully she could arrange the meeting with Lavender quickly so they could move forward with their plan to eliminate Ron and frame Kingsley.

**[][][][][]**

With Lavender working for Hermione, it was easy for her to arrange a private meeting with her P.A. The day after the Death Eater meeting, Hermione arranged for Lucius to be in her and Draco's penthouse at lunchtime and she invited Lavender back to hers for lunch. In case she didn't need him, Lucius was in another room but Hermione knew by the wards that the older wizard was in the penthouse when they arrived.

"Thanks for inviting me to lunch, but you really didn't have to." Lavender said to Hermione as the two witches settled down in the front room.

"Actually Lavender, I have to admit I have an ulterior motive." Hermione confessed. "You placed your faith in me by telling me about Ron, and it's time I returned the favour. I'm about to tell you who I really am."

Lavender was slightly confused, until The Dark Lady produced her wand and dropped the glamour charms she was wearing. Totally and utterly shocked by what she was seeing, Lavender gazed at The Dark Lady as her bright blue eyes turned into a warm shade of brown and her long black hair lightened into brunette curls.

"Hermione?"

Hermione nodded, watching Lavender's reaction closely. She still had her wand in her hand, just in case she needed to use it, but she was hoping it wouldn't be necessary.

"How?" Lavender asked, confusion written all over her face. "I don't understand, you're a muggleborn."

"No, I'm not. I just went to school as a muggleborn for my own protection." Hermione replied. "My parents were worried that if I went to school as Hermione Riddle I would be terrorised and possibly even in danger."

Lavender nodded, immediately understanding where Hermione's parents had been coming from. "Yes, you would have. Especially if the likes of Harry and Ron had known who you really were. But that makes me wonder why you befriended them. Did you do it deliberately so you could get closer to them and kill them?"

"If that was the plan they would have been dead years ago." Hermione answered. "Befriending them was just an accident. I was actually trying to stay out of their way, then they saved me from the troll and things just developed from there."

"Were you ever truly friends with them, or was it just an act?"

"I was never quite as friendly as I appeared, but I did care for them. I still do in fact." Hermione admitted. "That's why I never killed them. The only reason I have to get rid of Ron now is because of what he's done. I can't let him get away with it, no matter how hard it's going to be to order his death."

"Is it really going to be that hard on you?" Lavender questioned.

"You know me Lavender, I'm not the monster they like to make me out to be." Hermione sighed. "I'm not denying who my father was, but you know how different I am to him. If I thought for one minute Harry and Ron would have accepted who I really was, I would have told them. But you know as well as I do that they would have reacted badly and they never would have given me a chance."

Lavender nodded, knowing Hermione was right. You just had to look at what Harry and Ron had done to Draco in seventh year to see what they could have done to Hermione. Not to mention the way Ron was callously bumping off people he considered Death Eaters, and Harry reacting as though he was doing nothing wrong.

"I'll understand if you want to walk away from me and your job, but I wanted you to know the truth." Hermione told Lavender. "You trusted me by telling me about Ron, I wanted to show you that I trust you. I trust you to know who I really am."

"I appreciate your trust." Lavender replied. "But this is a lot to take in. I understand why you've kept your identity a secret, but it has come as a big shock."

"Would you like the afternoon off to process everything?" Hermione offered. While she didn't think Lavender would go running to the Order to tell them who she really was, she wasn't overly happy with the thought of letting her out of her sight until she knew one way or another if she was going to accept who she was.

"I think I'd rather go back to work if that's okay." Lavender replied. "I do still have a job, don't I?"

"Yes, you still have a job." Hermione smiled. "I honestly don't know what I would do without you at times, so the job's yours for as long as you want it."

"Good, because I really do love my job and I don't want to lose it." Lavender replied.

Hermione smiled in relief, hopefully if Lavender wanted to keep her job it meant she would come round to who she really was. Hermione was confident Lavender just needed time to adjust to the shock, and when she came round things would be even better between them.


	30. The Final Countdown

As it turned out Lavender had begun to accept who Hermione was by the end of the same day. Before leaving work for the night she admitted to Hermione it was strange knowing she was working for her former school friend, especially as she hadn't known for so long. However she also admitted she understood why Hermione had kept quiet about her real identity and she promised not to tell anyone.

Hermione had given Lavender a few days to really let her identity sink in, before approaching her about helping with Ron. Lavender was clearly still hesitant to be involved, but she did agree to arrange to go and see Ron on the evening in question. She did however tell Hermione she wasn't going anywhere near to the Burrow that specific evening, while she understood what needed to be done she couldn't be a part of it. Hermione was fine with Lavender not going to the Burrow and suggested that if anyone asked Lavender about her date with Ron after his death she could say they cancelled at the last minute.

With Lavender on board to help with Ron, Lucius arranged for Arthur to be invited to a dinner held be an eccentric wizard who dabbled in adapting muggle technology to the wizarding world. Hermione herself was wary of what the wizard was doing messing with muggle stuff, but Lucius assured her that while he believed a lot of muggle things could be adapted to use magic, he believed muggles should remain in their own part of the world. Hermione was more than happy with that as she had no problems with muggles themselves, she just didn't want them in the wizarding world where they didn't belong.

Just over a week after finding out Ron was responsible for the Death Eater killings, the plan was set for his death. Currently Hermione and Draco were in the front room of their penthouse with Lucius and Narcissa, discussing what would be happening on Friday evening. It had been decided that Ron would be killed on the Friday and sometime over the weekend Kingsley would be arrested.

"I think it's time we discussed alibis." Lucius said.

"Do we need them?" Hermione asked. "We're going to make it look as though Ron died in a fire."

"Yeah, buy you just know Potter will point the finger at you." Draco pointed out to his girlfriend.

"I suppose." Hermione nodded. "But how can we get an alibi when we're actually going to be at the Burrow?"

"I have that all sorted." Lucius smirked. "On Friday afternoon the two of you are going to finish work early and go away for the weekend, I've taken the liberty of booking you a suite in a posh hotel in Italy. After you've checked in, Narcissa and I will floo to your hotel suite. We will then take some polyjuice potion to look like you two and head down to dinner, making sure we're spotted. Meanwhile you two are back at home dealing with Weasley. When you've finished you return to Italy and we switch back. The pair of you then have a few days relaxation and when you return Weasley will be dead and Kingsley will be under arrest."

"That is a pretty impressive plan." Hermione admitted. "But I have a few problems with it. First of all, you two will need an alibi. When Harry can't pin Ron's death on Draco and I, he's going to turn his attention elsewhere and I'm sure you'll be in the firing line. Secondly, how are we going to manage to ensure no-one knows we've been using the floo? If they know that, they could possibly work out our alibi is fake."

"Narcissa and I can easily get an alibi. I'm very capable of buying an alibi for us, after all I managed it the evening your father was supposedly killed at the Ministry." Lucius responded, brushing off Hermione's first problem before dealing with her second. "And the owner of the hotel happens to be a good friend of mine. He's assured me the floo network will be opened personally by him and he'll shut it down once we've finished with it. No-one will know Narcissa and I were ever there."

Hermione nodded and smiled at Lucius, pleased he'd already thought about any potential problems with the plan. "Okay, I'm in. Draco and I can have a nice weekend away."

"It'll be good to relax for a bit." Draco added. After everything that had been happening lately he really did think it would do Hermione the world of good to get away from everything.

"Since we're going away, can you handle everything with Kingsley?" Hermione checked with Lucius.

"It's all in hand." Lucius reassured the young witch. "On Saturday evening Jordan and his M.L.E. partner will come across Kingsley killing Parkinson. Kingsley will then be taken into custody, where he'll confess to his crimes. And because you and Draco will be out of the country, nothing can be pinned on you, no matter how hard Potter tries."

"Excellent." Hermione grinned. Her plan was all on track, now all they had to do was wait until Friday and hope everything went as smoothly as they hoped.

**[][][][][]**

Friday seemed to crawl around, but when it did arrive the morning flew past. Hermione felt as though she'd barely gotten any work done, before it was time to grab her things and head home. Before leaving she called Lavender into her office. To everyone else it would look as though she was just leaving last minute instructions, but she really wanted to check everything was on track with Ron.

"Is everything still set for this evening?" Hermione asked. As far as Lavender knew, Hermione had organised Ron's death but would play no part in it.

"Yes." Lavender nodded. "Ron's expecting me at seven."

"Thank you Lavender, I really appreciate your help." Hermione said. "I just wish this wasn't necessary. If only Ron had left well alone."

"He's just getting what he deserves." Lavender answered sadly. The fact that Ron had been planning on going after Greg next was a major factor in Lavender's decision to help Hermione with her plans, she just couldn't sit back and do nothing as the wizard she was developing ever deeper feelings for was killed.

Leaving Lavender in charge of the office, Hermione headed off home. Arriving in the penthouse she just had time to change, before Draco arrived home. Draco didn't bother changing as he grabbed their bags and they headed for the Ministry to catch their international portkey. Lucius had arranged the portkey, so yet more people could see they'd left the country for the weekend. Draco also added to the ruse, making sure to talk to a few people. It would now be incredibly hard for Harry to get anyone to believe they were involved in Ron's death, half the Ministry could probably vouch for the fact they were going away for a few days.

After taking their portkey, Draco and Hermione arrived in a luxury hotel in northern Italy. The owner of the hotel was there to greet them, and after getting their cases sent to their room, he personally escorted them to it. Once in the suite, he reassured them that the floo network was working and no-one but him knew about it. He also mentioned that he'd booked them into the hotel's restaurant for dinner and secured them a table in prime view of the other guests. After making sure the couple knew how to contact reception if they needed anything he left them alone for a few hours.

"This is nice." Draco remarked, taking a good look around the suite. The suite consisted of a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom, and they were all pristine and luxurious.

"It is." Hermione agreed as she settled on the sofa. "I'm just looking forward to later, when I can relax and enjoy the weekend."

"I know what you mean." Draco said as he joined his girlfriend on the sofa. "I'm looking forward to dealing with Weasley, so we can spend some quality time together."

"I'm sorry, I've been neglecting you, haven't I?" Hermione sighed, snuggling up to Draco, who wrapped his arm around her and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"No, you've just had other things on your mind." Draco replied.

"I promise once we've dealt with Ron, my focus will be on you." Hermione told her boyfriend as she leant up and kissed him. "The rest of the weekend will be dedicated to us. If you want we can spend the entire weekend locked up in this room completely naked."

"I like the sound of that." Draco grinned. "In fact we've got a few hours before my parents arrive, how about we get in some practice."

"I think we'll wait." Hermione chuckled. "Your parents might be early, and I think your father has seen quite enough of me already."

Draco mumbled an agreement as the couple remained where they were. Draco just rearranged his position on the sofa, so that Hermione was practically lying beside him with her head on his chest. For a few hours the couple happily lounged on the sofa, quietly talking about how they would spend the weekend once they'd dealt with Ron.

As the afternoon gave way to the early evening both Hermione and Draco got up and headed into the bedroom for a change of clothing. They both dressed in black, so they would be harder to spot outside the Burrow. Once they were dressed and ready to go they returned to the living room, where they waited for Lucius and Narcissa to arrive. Half an hour later the floo network quietly sounded and Draco's parents stepped out of the flames.

"Thank you for doing this." Hermione smiled at the couple. "We appreciate it."

"We don't want you getting accused of anything, do we?" Narcissa replied.

"And are you sure you can be us convincingly?" Draco checked with his parents. "Maybe we should have practiced this first."

"We'll be fine." Lucius tutted. "Don't forget these people don't actually know the pair of you. We'll be able to mimic you good enough to fool everyone here."

"Will you need any help with the glamour charms?" Hermione asked Narcissa. While Narcissa would take polyjuice potion to look like the real Hermione, she would then have to apply the glamour's to turn into The Dark Lady. "I use two very specific ones."

"I think you're forgetting, I was the one who used them on you first." Lucius chuckled, remembering that he was the one who'd given her striking blue eyes and jet black hair way back in her fifth year. "I'm sure I can recreate them on Narcissa."

"I'm sure you can." Hermione nodded, before turning back to Narcissa. "I've left a dress and everything else on the bed for you."

"Thank you." Narcissa told the young witch. She was guessing Hermione had picked the outfit as she didn't want her rummaging through her clothes and possibly finding something she didn't want her to see. If Draco was anything like his father then no doubt most of Hermione's luggage consisted of sexy lingerie, and she had no desire to find anything like that.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Hermione asked Lucius. She wanted to be sure they'd discussed everything before they left as there really wouldn't be time to come back before they headed to the Burrow to deal with Ron.

"I don't think so, we've got our supply of polyjuice potion and I've made flasks of it up so we can keep drinking it all night." Lucius replied. "And as far as I know, everything's sorted on your end."

"Don't you need our hair?" Draco asked his father.

"Of course, I was getting to that." Lucius told his son. "I was actually going to suggest you leave some hair in a vial for us. I find polyjuice potion works better the later the hairs added. Sometimes if it's added too early, I don't think you get your full hour before it starts wearing off."

From his robes, Lucius produced two vials and Hermione and Draco each took one. Both of them left several strands of their hair in their respective vials and handed them back to Lucius. Once that was done good lucks were exchanged before Draco and Hermione flooed to the Manor and from there they headed to the Burrow, where they would ensure Ron suffered for killing the Death Eaters.


	31. Fire

**A/N – Thank you for all the amazing reviews. I'm always thrilled to hear that people are enjoying The Dark Lady because I had so much fun writing it. I hope people enjoy this chapter as it would appear most of you are really looking forward to Ron getting what he deserves.**

* * *

Ron bustled about the kitchen at the Burrow, setting the table for dinner. Molly had actually cooked the meal for him before she went out, but she'd left heating instructions for the food so Ron could warm it up before Lavender arrived. Once the table was set, Ron checked the time and finding he had ten minutes or so before Lavender arrived, he settled down with a beer.

In all honesty he wasn't particularly looking forward to the meal, in fact he was thinking it was time to end his relationship with Lavender. Things had been better between them since the beginning of the year when he'd started his vendetta against the Death Eaters, but he could never truly forget she worked for the enemy. The only reason Ron was still with her following her acceptance of the job with The Dark Lady, was because Harry still thought she could provide them with useful information. Ron however was beginning to realise that the Death Eaters were a totally different entity to The Dark Lady's business, Lavender was more than happy to talk about work but she spoke about the school, shopping centre and magical creature's reserve, never anything relating to Death Eaters.

Despite knowing the end of his relationship with Lavender was fast approaching, Ron was still reluctant to make the final break. He really did care for Lavender and chances were if she hadn't accepted a job with The Dark Lady they would be happy together and most likely living together. The one time the topic of moving in together had been raised, they'd had an almighty argument. Lavender had already got her fancy flat by then and was more than happy for Ron to move in, Ron however refused to live in a flat paid for by Lavender working for The Dark Lady. Lavender made it clear she wasn't moving and since Ron wouldn't move into her flat, they remained living separately, making it easier for them to drift apart.

Thinking about what could have been if it wasn't for The Dark Lady, Ron got up to turn the oven on. Once the food was heating up, he poured two glasses of wine and placed them on the kitchen table. Just as he placed the last glass there was a knock on the door. Quickly checking everything was under control in the kitchen, Ron checked he looked okay before going to let Lavender in.

"Hey, Lav…" Ron swung the door open and his words trailed off as he realised it wasn't Lavender standing on the doorstep, it was a very different witch instead.

There standing in front of him was Hermione, and Ron was speechless. He hadn't seen his friend in over a year, but he had to admit she looked good, different but good. For some bizarre reason Hermione was dressed all in black. Her trousers were tight fitting and she was wearing a pair of knee high black boots, her top was a figure hugging black one shouldered number. Her normally wild curls were pulled back from her face and held in a high ponytail.

"Aren't you going to say hello?" Hermione asked. She hadn't bothered with her Dark Lady glamour's as she wanted Ron to know exactly who she was, now he was going to be disposed of she saw no point in hiding her true identity.

Instead of responding with words, Ron stepped forward and pulled Hermione into a hug. Hermione returned the hug, all the time wishing things hadn't turned out the way they had. She'd so hoped to let Harry and Ron get on with their lives without interference, but it would seem their fates were intertwined and unfortunately for Ron it was time for her to cut him loose. There would be no more interfering from Ron, not after tonight.

"I can't believe you're here." Ron gushed as he finally let go of Hermione. "Come in, you have to tell me everything."

Ron pulled Hermione into the house, and led her through to the kitchen. Totally unconcerned by the fact he was supposed to be expecting his girlfriend, Ron flicked off the heat of the oven and handed Hermione one of the glasses of wine he'd just poured.

"Are you expecting someone?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the neatly set table.

"Just Lavender, but she'll be thrilled to see you." Ron replied. "As will everyone else, just wait until I tell them you're back."

"I'm not back Ron, I never went away." Hermione said, placing her glass down on the table without drinking any of the liquid in it.

"I don't understand, you never signed up to the muggleborn registration programme." Ron frowned. "Percy said your wand would be deregistered in that case, meaning the Ministry can trace you if you do magic in this country."

"I know how the registration programme works." Hermione told Ron, jumping in before he started rambling. "I did help create it after all."

"I don't understand." Ron repeated, looking even more confused.

"Let me spell this out to you Ron." Hermione sighed dramatically as she pulled out her wand and twirled it in her fingers. "I didn't sign the registration, because I'm not a filthy mudblood. And I helped create the registration programme with Lucius so we could rid the wizarding world of mudbloods."

"Why would you work with Lucius Malfoy?" Ron asked. "I'm so confused."

"I work with Lucius because he's my right hand man, my most loyal Death Eater." Hermione replied.

"Death Eater?" Ron's eyes widened comically as he looked at Hermione in horror. "That means that you… you're… you…"

"The Dark Lady." Hermione finished for Ron. "Yes, I am."

Ron quickly jumped up from his chair, but before he had a chance to draw his wand, Hermione flicked her wrist and immobilised the redhead. A few more spells had Ron tied to the kitchen chair he'd just jumped up from. For safety, Hermione also summoned his wand and made sure to keep it out of Ron's reach. She didn't know how much wandless magic Ron had mastered since leaving school, but if what he'd known at Hogwarts was any indication he wouldn't be a problem. Besides, even if he did manage to break free of his bindings, Hermione was more than confident her magic was stronger than Ron's.

"I'm sorry about this Ron, you've left me with no choice." Hermione sighed as she stood in front of her former friend.

"There's always a choice, you bitch." Ron snarled. "You had a choice when you lied to us for seven years."

"What was I going to do, tell you the truth?" Hermione laughed humourlessly. "I went to school as a muggleborn for my own safety, I never intended to befriend you and Harry."

"Sure." Ron sneered disbelievingly. "I bet the whole thing was a trick to get us to trust you. You wanted to be our friend, you wanted to get close so you could bring us down and kill us."

"Then why didn't I?" Hermione retorted. "If that's what I wanted, why wait? I could have killed you and Harry years ago, but I didn't. I've been alone with both of you numerous times over the years and never once used the opportunity to finish you off. I even held you captive at one point, but yet you still survived. And believe me, I really wanted to hurt you after everything you'd done to Draco."

"So you're admitting it was you that had us over Easter that year." Ron checked.

"I'll freely admit it." Hermione nodded. "I arranged for you to be snatched in Diagon Alley. I then held you prisoner and watched as a few of my Death Eaters tortured you. But I didn't kill you."

"Why not?" Ron voiced the question that had always bugged him about the kidnapping incident. Like Harry he'd been convinced The Dark Lady had been behind their capture, but he'd never been able to work out why she'd let them survive.

"I never wanted to kill either Harry or you unless it was strictly necessary." Hermione admitted. "Unfortunately it's now necessary to dispose of you. I can't let you cause any more damage to my Death Eaters, you've done enough."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ron muttered as he desperately tried to think of a way out of the mess he was in. Maybe if he could keep Hermione talking Lavender would arrive and he'd be saved.

"You've been killing my Death Eaters." Hermione said, the anger she felt over the incidents evident in her voice. "And don't try denying it, I know it was you."

"I was just doing what any good citizen would do. I was ridding the world of scum." Ron retorted. A glance at the clock revealed that Lavender was almost fifteen minutes late, he was beginning to worry he'd been stood up and would lose his life as a result.

"Don't bother checking the time. She's not coming." Hermione smirked, spotting where Ron's attention was focused.

"What?" Ron's eyes snapped back to Hermione and he shivered at the cold look on her face.

"Lavender." Hermione stated. "She's not coming. The date was never with her, it was with me all along."

"You've set me up." Ron gasped. "You lured Mum and Dad out of the house so you could kill me."

"Technically Lucius did the luring, but I was behind it." Hermione said. "Now, it's time we said goodbye. I'm genuinely sorry it had to end like this Ron, but you just couldn't leave well alone. If only you'd stayed out of my business, everything would have been fine."

Suddenly panicking Ron started to wriggle about in his chair, but the magic Hermione had used to bind him with was too strong. As Ron continued to try and escape, Hermione raised her wand and shot a spell at Ron. Almost instantly, Ron started to choke and fight for air. The spell was designed to make it look as though Ron had died from smoke inhalation. As Ron breathed his last, Hermione turned away and wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'm sorry Ron." She whispered when she turned back around and found her former friend slumped in his seat.

A flick of her wrist, undid the binding spells on Ron and the redhead slumped to the floor. Walking over to the oven, Hermione turned up the temperature to full heat. She then summoned all the candles in the house and placed them around the kitchen. Finally after banishing Ron's wand up to his bedroom, specifically under his bed, Hermione made sure all the doors and windows were locked using magic. The only door she left open was the back door, but she would lock that on her way out. Now it would look as though Ron had been caught up in the fire she was about to set and without his wand he hadn't been able to escape.

Making her way to the back door, Hermione lit all the candles in the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, Hermione knocked the nearest candle onto the floor and the second the fire had taken hold she stepped outside and made sure the door was magically locked. With everything done inside the house, Hermione made her way down the back garden to where Draco was waiting for her behind a large tree.

"Did everything go okay?" He asked.

"Yes." Hermione nodded absentmindedly as she turned back to look at the Burrow. She could see low flames flickering in the kitchen window and she wondered how long it would be until the fire was raging.

"Are we going?" Draco asked anxiously. The entire time Hermione had been inside the house, he'd been looking around to ensure they weren't caught and now the job was done he just wanted to leave.

"In a minute." Hermione replied. "I need to make sure the fire takes hold properly."

Knowing better than to argue with his girlfriend, Draco kept his own personal opinion that they should leave to himself. Wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist, he stood keeping a look out while Hermione watched the ever growing flames. When smoke started billowing from the house and the flames were decidedly larger, Hermione nodded her head once.

"We can go now." She said quietly.

Without uttering a word, Draco tightened his grip on Hermione and apparated them back to the Manor. Once back at the Manor, Hermione reapplied her glamour charms and the couple flooed back to their hotel in Italy. Now they could spend the rest of the weekend in the Italian sun and they could deal with everything else when they returned home. Draco also vowed to make Hermione forget her troubles and just relax. She'd had a stressful few months and he was determined that for once she was going to settle back and enjoy herself. Being The Dark Lady could wait until they returned home, for the rest of the weekend she was just Hermione, enjoying a weekend away with her boyfriend.


	32. A Trio of Visits

Hermione sat on the balcony of the hotel, enjoying her last few hours in Italy. She was half tempted to tell Draco they should stay another night, but they had to get back to reality. However, their weekend away had been so relaxing. Draco had made sure she forgot all about what had happened with Ron, and she concentrated on having a good time. As a result she was feeling more relaxed than she had been in a long time.

"Hey, gorgeous." Draco greeted as he came out onto the balcony and sat down beside Hermione.

"Hey." Hermione smiled at her boyfriend. "Are we all packed?"

"Unfortunately." Draco sighed. He'd enjoyed having Hermione all to himself, and he wasn't exactly looking forward to returning home where she'd soon be swamped with Dark Lady business.

"As much as I would love to stay here, we have to go home." Hermione said. "We'll just have to make sure to spend some more time together. With everything that's going on, sometimes I don't think we spend enough time on our own."

"I'm sure we can remedy that." Draco told his girlfriend. "Hopefully now Weasley's gone, things will calm down anyway."

"I guess that all depends on Harry." Hermione said. "He might still cause problems. Lavender did say he was up for joining forces with Ron to keep on killing Death Eaters."

"Surely Weasley's death will put an end to that." Draco replied. "Potter will be too destroyed to do anything."

"Let's hope so." Hermione sighed.

"Enough about Potter." Draco announced as he stood up and pulled Hermione to her feet. "Let's enjoy the last few hours of our break."

"And what did you have in mind?" Hermione questioned as Draco led her into the bedroom.

"Take a wild guess." Draco grinned, pulling her into his arms and connecting their lips.

As always, Hermione melted into Draco's arms and completely lost herself with her lover. The few clothes they were wearing were soon discarded and the couple fell back onto the bed, utterly naked. Without the restriction of clothing, things became distinctly heated between the young couple.

"I love you." Hermione moaned as Draco buried himself inside of her.

"I love you too." Draco returned as he began to move.

The couple made love twice, before it was time for them to leave. Reluctantly they dragged themselves out of bed, had a super quick shower and got redressed.

"We will definitely have to come away for the weekend more often." Hermione remarked as Draco grabbed their bags and they made their way down to reception to check out.

"Yeah, we will." Draco agreed.

Instead of returning back to London via a portkey, they'd arranged to use the public floo in the hotel. After settling everything up with the manager, the couple headed over to the fire and one by one they flooed to Malfoy Manor, where Lucius and Narcissa were waiting for them. After exchanging pleasantries with Draco's parents, Lucius poured everyone a drink and they settled down to talk business.

"I'm assuming since you never contacted us that everything ran smoothly." Hermione said to her right hand man.

"Everything ran like clockwork." Lucius smirked. "On Saturday morning, I popped into the office and the entire Ministry was buzzing with the news of the fire at The Burrow. Obviously as Minister for Magic, I spoke to the family. Especially since Percy works directly for me and Arthur works for the Ministry. I've given them both as much time off as they need."

"Was there any suspicion of foul play?" Hermione checked.

"No." Lucius shook his head. "Ron's death is considered to be a tragic accident. According to reports, he was in the kitchen and a candle tipped over causing a fire. He was unfortunately in the kitchen without his wand, and by the time he noticed the fire he couldn't escape."

"Have you seen Lavender?" Hermione asked. "How's she holding up?"

"I haven't seen her personally, but I have spoken to her father and he says she's fine." Lucius said. "Her official line is that she got held up with work, and sent an owl to Ron rearranging their date."

"I still think I'd like to check on her personally." Hermione said. "And I'm guessing I'm going to have to go and see Parkinson's wife. I take it everything went as plan there as well."

"It did." Lucius reassured her. "I personally cast the Imperius curse on Kingsley on Saturday and later that evening he was caught killing Parkinson. Unfortunately Jordan and his partner were too late to stop the murder."

"Oh what a shame." Hermione smirked wickedly.

"Wasn't it." Lucius replied. "Anyway, Kingsley is under arrest and he's confessed to the other murders. I'll be releasing a statement tomorrow expressing the Ministry's devastation that one of our Aurors was responsible for the killing spree."

"What about the Order? How have they reacted to Kingsley's arrest?"

"Tonks was causing a scene at the Ministry earlier, but I've suspended her." Lucius said. "Since she's so close to Kingsley, we'll have to make a show of investigating her to see if she knew anything. I'm sure if she becomes too much trouble we can decide she was involved as well, but I think all she needs is a couple of days to cool off. As for the rest of the Order, I have no idea what they think. But considering who caught Kingsley, I'd say they'll be left with no choice but to believe it."

"Potter won't." Draco pointed out. "He knew the truth."

"He did, but he's not going to tell anyone Ron was responsible." Hermione stated confidently. "The last thing he's going to want to do is sully his best friend's name, or hurt the rest of the family. My guess is even though he doesn't like it, he'll let Kingsley take the blame."

"And if he doesn't?" Draco asked his girlfriend.

"Then we'll deal with that when it happens." Hermione shrugged. "Right now, I have a few visits to make. I think I'll start with the Parkinson's. Draco, you'll come with me, won't you?"

"Of course." Draco nodded. "But perhaps we should go back home and change first. We're both looking a bit casual and holiday like to go and offer our condolences to a grieving family."

"I guess we are." Hermione said, looking at her thin summer dress and Draco's shorts and t-shirt.

Saying goodbye to Lucius and Narcissa, the couple headed back to their penthouse. Once back home they took a few minutes to unpack, before they both got changed. Draco ended up in a pair of black trousers and a dark grey shirt, while Hermione opted for one of her long, dramatic black dresses. When they were both ready, Draco took hold of Hermione's hand and apparated her to the Parkinson's house.

Hermione had met Mrs Parkinson at a few Death Eater gatherings and while she never liked the woman, she felt a pang of guilt as they entered the front room and found her sitting on the sofa sobbing loudly. Pansy was sitting beside her mother, and she was also crying. However the second Pansy spotted Draco, she jumped up and rushed over to the blond wizard.

"Oh Draco, it's awful." She sobbed, flinging herself into her ex's arms.

Hermione bit back her jealousy at the sight of Draco comforting Pansy. She knew these days they were just friends, but she was very aware that they'd once been more than friends. Shooting Draco a warning look, Hermione crossed the room and perched next to Mrs Parkinson.

"Mrs Parkinson, I'm so sorry for your loss." Hermione told the sobbing witch. "I was devastated when Lucius informed me what had happened."

"At least they caught the killer." Mrs Parkinson sniffed as she looked up at Hermione. "Did he kill all the others as well?"

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "Lucius told me that he confessed. I assure you Kingsley Shackelbolt will be spending the rest of his life in Azkaban. And I will personally see to it that he suffers for what he's done to my Death Eaters."

"Good." Mrs Parkinson sneered. "He deserves to suffer."

"Yes, he does." Hermione agreed. Getting her eye on Pansy, who was still clinging onto Draco like a limpet, Hermione decided it was time to end their visit. "I'm sorry Mrs Parkinson, but we really have to go. Feel free to get in touch if you need anything, and of course we'll be at your husband's funeral. He'll be a great miss to our cause."

After saying goodbye to Mrs Parkinson, Hermione watched as Draco extracted himself from Pansy's clutches. Draco then briefly offered his condolences to Mrs Parkinson, while Hermione pulled Pansy into a brief hug under the disguise of comforting the other witch.

"Keep your grubby little paws to yourself." Hermione hissed quietly to the former Slytherin. "I'll let you off this time because you're grieving, but in future keep your hands off Draco. He's mine."

Pulling back, Hermione offered Pansy a fake smile before turning and leaving with Draco at her side. Once they left the Parkinson's, Hermione took hold of Draco's hand and they apparated to the block of flats where Lavender lived. Making their way to her flat they knocked on the door and were surprised when Greg was the one to answer it.

"Greg." Hermione greeted the wizard with a smile. "We've come to see how Lavender is doing."

"Come in." Greg said, pulling the door opening and ushering the pair into the flat.

Hermione and Draco followed Greg into the front room, where Lavender was sitting. Lavender immediately jumped up when she spotted her boss, but Hermione told her to sit back down and relax. When Lavender sat back down, Greg sat down beside her, leaving Hermione and Draco to sit on the sofa opposite them.

"We can't stay long, but I wanted to check you were okay." Hermione said to Lavender.

"I'm doing well actually." Lavender replied. "Obviously I'm sad Ron's dead, but in understand it was for the best. If he lived he would have gone after Greg, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if anything had happened to him."

Hermione and Draco shared a smirk at the affectionate way Lavender looked at Greg as she spoke about him. It was clear to them both that romance was blossoming between the pair, and it would probably only be a matter of time before they were a couple.

"You can have as much time off as you need." Hermione offered. She wasn't sure how much time off Lavender would want, but she did expect her P.A. to take a few days to grieve for Ron.

"Thank you, but I'll not be taking long." Lavender replied. "I'll have the next few days off, as I'll be expected to show my face with the Weasley's, but then I'll return to work."

"There's no rush, but I'm certainly not going to stop you coming back when you want." Hermione said as she stood up. "We'll be off now, enjoy the rest of your evening."

When Lavender got up to show them out, Hermione insisted there was no need. Leaving her to carry on her evening with Greg, Hermione and Draco left the flat and made their way back outside.

"Home?" Draco checked as he took hold of Hermione's hand.

"No. I want to go and see Charlie." Hermione said, before she apparated them to the small house Charlie had bought upon his return to the country

"You're going to tell him who you are, aren't you?" Draco questioned his girlfriend as they made their way up the garden path.

"I'm thinking about it." Hermione admitted.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded as she knocked on the door. Within moments Charlie had answered the door and had ushered the couple into his cosy home. Hermione hadn't been sure if any of his family would be with him, but he appeared to be alone. A quick inquiry from Draco, reassured the couple that they were alone with Charlie and none of his family would pop up and interrupt their talk.

"I'm so sorry to hear about Ron." Hermione said to Charlie once they were settled in the front room.

"Thanks." Charlie replied sadly. "It was a tragic accident. If only he hadn't been idiotic enough to leave his wand upstairs. His wandless magic wasn't strong enough to summon the wand."

"Ron never was the most careful person with his wand." Hermione smiled fondly. "He was always leaving it all over the place."

"How do you know that?" Charlie asked, looking at Hermione with suspicion.

"I've got a confession to make, Charlie." Hermione sighed. "I was friends with Ron for seven years, and if I honestly thought he and Harry would have accepted me as I truly was I would have told them the truth. My real name is Hermione Riddle, but they knew me as Hermione Granger."

Charlie's mouth dropped open as he looked at the witch in front of him. "You're Hermione. But I've seen pictures, and you look nothing like her."

Hermione pulled out her wand and dropped the couple of glamour charms that altered her appearance. "A few simple glamour charms." She explained. "Although, they're only necessary because of the interview Harry gave in seventh year. If he hadn't publically accused me off all sorts, I never would have had to make such an early public appearance. Maybe then Harry and Ron could have learnt to accept the truth of who I really am, when I told the rest of the world."

"Are you saying, you would have revealed yourself to the entire world?" Charlie questioned.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "I was planning on telling everyone the truth at the end of seventh year. I went to school as a muggleborn to protect myself, but I didn't want to continue on with the charade. Unfortunately events in the last few years of school changed everything. I knew Harry and Ron would never accept me because of my father, so I faded out of their lives."

"What about all the things they accused you of, are they true?" Charlie asked.

"If you thought they were true, you never would have went into business with me." Hermione retorted. "I'm still the same person Charlie, I'm just trusting you with my real identity."

"Bloody hell, this is a lot to take in." Charlie muttered, running his right hand through his red hair.

"I'll understand if you want to dissolve our partnership." Hermione sighed sadly. "I just wanted you to know who I was, and I wanted you to know how upset I am about Ron. I know what he thought of The Dark Lady, but I considered him a friend and I'm devastated he's dead."

"Firstly, I won't be dissolving our partnership." Charlie said. "I knew who you were when I went into business with you, and finding out your name doesn't change that. I admit I'm shocked you went to school with my brother, but I can see why you didn't tell them the truth. They wouldn't have taken it well."

"That's an understatement." Draco snorted. "They're likely to have killed her."

Charlie opened his mouth to argue, but found he actually agreed with Draco. He'd witnessed Ron and Harry's opinions on the Dark Lady first hand, and no doubt if they'd realised they'd been friends with her for years they would have reacted badly. Charlie wouldn't have blamed the pair for being angry about the lies Hermione told, but he knew their anger would have stemmed from who her father was and nothing else. If the pair had known who Hermione truly was, she wouldn't have stood a chance. Charlie didn't for one minute think Harry and Ron would have given her a chance to explain before either turning her over to the Order or dealing with her themselves.

"I'm pleased you trust me enough to reveal your identity." Charlie finally told Hermione.

"I would have done it sooner, but I had to be sure you wouldn't tell anyone." Hermione replied. "I don't want any trouble Charlie, and I fear if my identity got out then all I would get would be trouble."

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Charlie smiled.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled back at Charlie. "And could I ask you another favour. Could you tell me when Ron's funeral is so I can send flowers? I know I can't attend, either as myself or The Dark Lady, but I want to pay my respects somehow."

"Of course." Charlie nodded. "I'll let you know when we've got some details."

"Thank you." Hermione said as she stood up and quickly reapplied her glamour charms.

Charlie and Draco also stood up, and after saying goodbye to the redhead the couple left his house. This time the couple did go home, where they could finally spend the rest of the evening relaxing. Now they'd dealt with all the immediate issues they could spend a few hours to themselves, before resuming their normal lives the following day.


	33. Draco's Request

On Friday evening, exactly a week after Ron's death, Draco finished up early in the office and headed home. He and Hermione were due to head to her parents' house to have dinner and Draco had something important he wanted to discuss with Voldemort. Hermione however had no idea he wished to speak to her father in private, so he was working on ways of ensuring he got some time alone with The Dark Lord.

When Draco returned to the penthouse, he found Hermione was already home. His girlfriend was enjoying a relaxing bath, and Draco was pleased to see she looked a lot less tense than she had been recently. In fact this last week had seen Hermione more relaxed than Draco had ever seen her. He just hoped things stayed as calm and Potter would keep away now Weasley was dead.

"I didn't expect you to be home as early." Draco said as he entered the bathroom.

"I fancied having a relaxing afternoon." Hermione replied. "Besides, things are pretty quiet at the minute. The school's closed for summer, Charlie has everything in hand at the animal sanctuary and the shopping centre's nearly ready to open."

"What about your school's abroad?" Draco asked.

He knew Hermione wanted to implement her school system in as many countries as possible, in an effort to unite the entire wizarding world. Hermione believed that the wizarding world didn't interact with each other enough, and she wanted to change that. She wanted the entire world to band together to become one large community. In Hermione's opinion with magic it shouldn't matter where you live, you should be part of the wider wizarding world. Of course there was no place for muggleborns in Hermione's united world, so until every country signed up to the muggleborn registration, Draco couldn't see full unity happening any time soon.

"I'm making progress with a few." Hermione said. "I think once the shopping centre is open, and I've started work on my latest project, it's time for a few foreign trips."

"What's your latest project?" Draco questioned.

"I'll tell you over dinner. I promised father I would fill him in on everything this evening." Hermione answered as she stood up and stepped out of the bath.

Wrapping a large bath towel around herself, Hermione gave Draco a brief kiss before disappearing into the bedroom to get dressed. Draco was half tempted to go after Hermione in an attempt to get a bit of action, but he knew his girlfriend wouldn't be swayed by his charms when they were due somewhere. Instead Draco pulled off his clothes and headed into the shower.

By the time Draco re-entered the bedroom to get dressed, Hermione was sitting at the dressing table applying her make-up. Hermione was wearing a deep blue dress that clung to her curves and fell all the way to the floor. Because they were heading to her parents' house there was no glamour charms in place, so her curly brunette hair was clipped back from her face with a silver clip shaped like a rose. The make-up she was applying was also less dramatic than her normal Dark Lady style, instead it was much more subtle and just highlighted her natural beauty.

While Hermione started putting on her jewellery, Draco wandered over to the wardrobe and grabbed his own clothes. Dressing in his usual dark trousers, Draco pulled a dark green shirt from the wardrobe and put it on. He then added socks and shoes, before spending nearly ten minutes fixing his hair and ensuring it fell just right.

"Sometimes you're such a girl." Hermione chuckled as her boyfriend sorted his hair.

"I just like to look my best." Draco replied. "Especially when we're seeing your father. The last thing I want is for him to be telling you that you can do better than me."

"Firstly, my Father would never tell me that. All he wants is for me to be happy, and he knows you make me happy. Plus, he really likes you." Hermione said, wrapping her arms around Draco's waist and hugging him from behind. "And secondly, even if he did tell me I could do better, I wouldn't listen. You're all I've ever wanted, Draco, and I'm not letting you go."

Draco smiled down at Hermione, before gently connecting their lips. Unknowingly she'd just made him feel a lot better about the conversation he wanted to have with her father. Draco actually did know that Voldemort approved of him, but it was nice to have confirmation of the fact.

"We should be going." Hermione said as the kiss ended and she stepped out of her boyfriend's embrace.

Hermione grabbed her bag and Draco followed his girlfriend out into the front room where she activated the floo network. Hermione headed to her parents' house first, with Draco following directly after her. As usual when they went to the Riddle's, both Voldemort and Kathleen were waiting in the front room to greet the couple. Hermione greeted her mother and gave her a hug and a kiss, before rushing over to where her father was sitting.

"Hi, Daddy." She smiled, giving Voldemort a large hug. Hermione was most definitely a daddy's girl, and everyone in the room knew it.

"Hello, princess." Voldemort smiled back at his daughter. "You're looking well. You look so relaxed."

"Draco and I went away last weekend, and he made me promise to relax more." Hermione explained.

"That's good." Voldemort nodded approvingly. "You'll make better decisions when you're relaxed. Being too tense will lead to mistakes."

"I've already made enough mistakes, I don't want to make any more." Hermione sighed as she settled down next to her father.

"What are you talking about?" Kathleen asked her daughter as she sat down with Draco. "What mistakes have you made?"

"Ron, for a start." Hermione answered. "I should have got rid of him and Harry months ago, but because I didn't people died."

"You weren't to know Weasley was going to turn into a killer." Draco told his girlfriend.

"Maybe not, but I still should have done something sooner." Hermione shrugged.

"Draco's right, you couldn't have known what was going to happen and there's no point blaming yourself." Voldemort said. "All you could do was deal with the mess once it had happened, and you did so magnificently I might add."

"Do you really think so?" Hermione asked. Her father's opinion was still the most important one, and Hermione always felt better about her decisions when her father approved of them.

"I do, you were excellent." Voldemort smiled proudly.

"You really were." Kathleen added. "We're both so proud of what you're achieving both with the Death Eaters and on your own."

Hermione blushed slightly at her parents compliments as the conversation continued to be about everything Hermione had achieved since taking over the Death Eaters. After a while the two couples headed into the dining room for dinner, where conversation drifted off to Draco and Hermione's work. Draco told Voldemort and Kathleen a bit about what he was doing with the family company, before Hermione spoke about her work at DL Holdings.

"You mentioned a new project earlier. What is it?" Draco asked his girlfriend.

"I'm going to build a wizarding museum and library." Hermione announced. "It will be the only thing of its kind in the wizarding world, and it is going to be magnificent."

"I should have known books would feature in your work eventually." Draco laughed.

"And your love of history." Kathleen smiled.

"You don't like the idea?" Hermione's face fell as she looked at her boyfriend and mother.

"On the contrary, I think it sounds great." Kathleen reassured her daughter. It was after all Kathleen that had passed her love of books and wizarding history to her daughter.

"So do I." Draco told Hermione when she turned to face him. "I think the potential is huge. You could make a fantastic museum, and it's a great tie in with your school."

"That's what I was thinking. Trips to the museum could be part of the curriculum." Hermione said, her smile returning to her face as she turned to face her father. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a very good idea." Voldemort told his daughter. "And like the school and the shopping centre, it's something that can be replicated around the globe. In a few years your influence will be spreading across the world."

"That's the plan." Hermione grinned wickedly. While she was giving something to the wizarding community by building these things, she was also aware of the power they were giving her.

As dinner finished, Hermione was still talking about her plans for the new museum and library. Kathleen in particular was interested in what sort of exhibits her daughter planned to include, and the two women headed into the front room to discuss the matter further. Voldemort meanwhile invited Draco into the study, for a drink. Considering Draco wanted to speak to Voldemort, he was more than happy with the arrangement and followed Hermione's father into the study.

In the study, Voldemort hobbled over to his chair and sunk into it as Draco poured the drinks from the cabinet in the corner. Handing one of the firewhisky's to Voldemort, Draco settled down with the other in the chair opposite The Dark Lord.

"Thank you for getting Hermione to relax a bit. I was starting to worry she was pushing herself too hard with the whole Dark Lady thing." Voldemort said.

"It wasn't easy, and to be honest I have no idea how long it will last." Draco replied. "If Potter starts causing trouble again, she'll just go back to stressing."

"She's so much like her mother." Voldemort chuckled. "Kathleen used to be exactly the same, always worrying and on edge."

"Kathleen, really?" Draco raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Hermione's mother was quite possibly once of the most laid back people he'd ever met and Draco couldn't picture her worrying and stressing like Hermione did.

"Really." Voldemort nodded as he let out a low chuckle. "When she was younger, Kathleen was always so tense and on edge. Although, at the time she was consumed with anger and the need for vengeance."

"Was this back when she first joined you?" Draco asked. He knew that Kathleen had joined the Death Eaters when her family had been killed and she'd wanted some sort of vengeance.

"Yes. She may have been young, but she had so much potential." Voldemort sighed wistfully as he thought back to first meeting his wife. "It was clear early on that Kathleen could be a great Death Eater, she just needed someone to help harness her anger and help her focus her power. Which was where I came in. I took her under my wing and made sure she didn't run off to seek revenge without being properly prepared."

"Is that when the pair of you got together?" Draco questioned. He didn't know the story of how Hermione's parents had gotten together and he was fascinated to hear it directly from Voldemort himself.

"It was the beginning of our attraction." Voldemort answered. "Kathleen was young and beautiful and being a man, I was very aware of that fact. She was also totally unconcerned that I was in charge and she was one of the only people who dared speak back to me. Not in public, mind you, just in private. But when we were alone she wasn't afraid of telling me she thought I'd made a mistake doing this or that. And the funny thing was, more often than not she was right."

"Was she attracted to you straight away?" Draco asked.

"I believe she was. However, she was very good at resisting my charms. I knew she wanted me, the same way I wanted her, but she never gave in. Well not immediately anyway." Voldemort said, smiling softly. "She didn't give in until after she'd gotten her revenge on the people who'd killed her family. It was actually just the two of us who struck, and in the kerfuffle I ended up getting hurt. Nothing serious, but enough to warrant Kathleen to treat my wounds. Once she patched me up, I thanked her with a kiss and things developed from there."

"How did no-one ever know about you two?"

"After our first night together, I made it clear to Kathleen my private life had nothing to do with my Death Eaters. She was more than happy to keep quiet, so her ascent up the ranks didn't come with a side of gossip about sleeping with the boss." Voldemort answered.

"I know all about that." Draco muttered. "A fair few people think that of me."

"Anyway, Kathleen was more than happy to keep our relationship quiet. When we started getting serious, we knew she would be a target for the Order, so that was even more incentive to keep our relationship to ourselves." Voldemort carried on. "We got married in a private ceremony and once Hermione came along, we were happy living our lives together behind closed doors. Our relationship never interfered with the Death Eaters, and more importantly I knew Kathleen and Hermione were safe because no-one knew of them."

"I wonder if Hermione and I should have kept our relationship quiet." Draco said thoughtfully.

"Your situation is very different from mine." Voldemort said. "Hermione is a public figure, it's good for her to have someone at her side. She's very fortunate that people haven't pushed her for her real name, and I think having you at her side helps that. It helps people see she's a normal witch, with a normal life. And it stops people questioning her and it help them trust her despite keeping secrets."

"I hope I really am that useful, especially with what I want to ask you." Draco said as he took a deep breath. "My Lord, I want to ask for your permission to ask your daughter to marry me."

Voldemort was rather surprised by Draco's request, but he couldn't help the large smile that spread over his features. He'd always known Draco would one day ask Hermione to marry him, but he'd never expected the young man to speak to him first. He was greatly impressed with his manners and it only served to reinforce his opinion that Draco was a solid young man and the perfect wizard for her daughter to marry.

"You have my blessing." Voldemort told the youngest Malfoy.

"Thank you, sir." Draco grinned ecstatically at Voldemort. Now he had permission from Voldemort, all he had to do was find the perfect ring and the perfect time to propose.


	34. Proposals and Outbursts

Draco nervously played with the ring box in his trouser pocket. He'd easily found a ring he thought Hermione would love, but finding the perfect time to propose was proving difficult. For the last couple of weeks, Hermione had been far too busy organising the launch of her shopping centre for Draco to be able to get her alone for any significant amount of time. Luckily for Draco the shopping centre had launched the previous day, but unluckily for Draco on their first night together for weeks they were attending a charity function organised by the Ministry.

"Here you are." Hermione said as she approached her boyfriend. "What's wrong with you, you've been jittery all night?"

"I'm just thinking there's much better ways for us to be spending our time." Draco replied with a smirk. "I've hardly seen you lately, and the first opportunity we get to spend some time together, we're stuck here."

"We're her to support your father, it would look strange if we didn't show up." Hermione said. "Besides, it's not all bad. Nearly all of our friends are here."

Draco nodded, conceding she had a point. Blaise and Theo were at the party as Ministry workers, and Theo had brought Daphne along. Hermione had arranged for Charlie to have a ticket and he was currently with Blaise at the bar, chatting up witches. The only people missing were Lavender and Greg, and that was only because it was too soon for them to be considered a couple. Ron had only been dead just over three weeks, and both Hermione and Lavender decided it would look disrespectful if she showed up with a new man on her arm.

"I can make it up to you later." Hermione smiled seductively at Draco, as her boyfriend still didn't look too happy to be at the charity night.

"Or you can make it up to me now." Draco suggested, suddenly getting an idea. "Come out onto the balcony with me."

The party was being held in a lavish hotel, and the room the party was using was on the second floor and had several balconies dotted around the room. All the balconies were available to access and Draco led Hermione out onto the nearest one to where they'd been standing.

"We are not having sex on this balcony." Hermione hissed to her boyfriend as he shut the glass doors behind him and cast a silencing spell on the balcony. Even with the spells, there was other balconies nearby and Hermione could see people on the balcony nearest to them.

"As hot as that would be, that's not why I brought you out here." Draco said, running his hand nervously through his hair.

"So why did you bring me out here?" Hermione asked.

"To ask you a very serious question." Draco answered.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Draco pulled the ring box from his pocket. Hermione gasped when he dropped to one knee and flipped the box open, revealing the most beautiful, delicate diamond ring she'd ever seen.

"Hermione, I love you more than anything. I know I probably don't deserve a witch as amazing as you, but I will do everything in my power to make you happy. Hermione Riddle, will you marry me?"

"Yes." Hermione replied excitedly, as she threw herself at Draco and gave him a deep kiss. "I love you, Draco."

Once the couple got back to their feet, Draco took the ring from the box and slipped it on Hermione's finger. With the enchantment he'd had placed on the ring it adjusted perfectly to her finger.

"It's gorgeous." Hermione said, holding the sparkling stone up to the night sky and admiring it.

"You're gorgeous." Draco responded, pulling Hermione into his arms and giving her a gentle kiss.

"I wish my father was here, so we could tell my parents alongside yours." Hermione sighed as the couple separated.

"Your father actually knows I was going to propose." Draco told Hermione. "I asked him for permission when we went to dinner a few weeks ago. We could always go and see your parents tomorrow morning, and tonight we can tell my parents and our friends."

Hermione smiled happily at the plan. "Come on, let's go and share the good news."

Releasing the silencing charm on the balcony, Draco opened the glass doors and the couple made their way back inside the large ballroom. Deciding to start with Draco's parents the couple scanned the room for Lucius and Narcissa. They eventually spotted the couple talking to the reporter, Mason Riley, and made their way over to Draco's parents.

"Miss Riddle, how lovely to see you." Mason smiled at The Dark Lady, and nodded politely at Draco. "And Mr Malfoy, it's nice to see you as well."

"Mason." Hermione smiled back at the reporter.

"You look happy." Lucius chuckled. "What exactly have you two been up to?"

"Nothing much." Hermione shrugged. "We've just been getting engaged." She added, flashing her ring.

"That's brilliant news." Narcissa gushed, embracing both Draco and Narcissa.

"This is excellent news." Lucius beamed. "I'm thrilled for the pair of you."

"Congratulations, you two." Mason said with a smile. "I'll leave you to celebrate your good news."

With Mason gone, Lucius and Narcissa continued to fuss over the news of their son's engagement. The celebrations soon caught the attention of other party goers and before long the news was spreading fast that Draco Malfoy was marrying The Dark Lady. The second their friends heard the news they rushed over to congratulate the happy couple.

Hermione and Draco were quite happy celebrating with their friends and family, when they became aware of a commotion beside the stage. The light music that had been playing had stopped and a figure was scrambling their way onstage. Hermione groaned when she spotted the figure as Harry, and given the way he was swaying on his feet she was guessing he was drunk.

"I'll go and get security." Lucius muttered, disappearing into the crowds as Harry stepped up to the microphone.

"Look at all you idiots, celebrating The Dark Lady's happy news." Harry began, slurring his words slightly. "You'll all regret supporting her when she turns on you. She's nothing but a murderer. She killed my best friend, and got a good man sent to Azkaban. She's a cruel, vindictive bitch, and one day she's going to get what's coming to her."

"Here, here." The voice of Molly Weasley called as the older woman made her presence known.

Hermione had known Molly and Arthur were at the party, but when the couple hadn't caused any trouble she'd been hopeful things were finally calming down. Unfortunately it looks as though she was wrong, and there were certain elements out there who were still out to cause trouble.

"You killed my Ronald." Molly screeched, launching herself at Hermione.

"Mum, stop." Charlie cried, grabbing his mother before she reached Hermione.

"Molly, come away." Arthur scolded his wife as he took hold of her arm. "I'm sorry Miss Riddle, she's just upset."

"I completely understand." Hermione smiled, aware that everyone was watching her. The last thing she wanted to do was let on just how furious she was at Molly and Harry. "It must be so terrible to lose a son. I know what it's like to lose someone you love, and you have my deepest sympathy for your loss."

"You don't love anyone." Harry called from the stage, just as security arrived and began dragging him away. "You're a cold, heartless bitch. Just like your cold, heartless father."

If Harry had anything else to say, Hermione didn't hear it as he was dragged from the room and the doors fell shut behind him. Knowing that Harry's appearance had disrupted the atmosphere somewhat, Lucius hurried the band back to work and set about trying to get people relaxed again. Within minutes it was as though the interruption hadn't happened, even though Harry and his mad ramblings were the subject of most conversations.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." Hermione whispered to Draco, before she slipped through the crowds.

Draco knew Hermione was going to calm down and get herself together and he inwardly cursed Potter and Molly. If they carried on like this, Hermione would end up getting all stressed again. He was hoping they could concentrate on planning their wedding, but if Potter was causing trouble, Hermione would only be distracted.

"Bloody Potter. You can always rely on him to mess things up." Draco complained to Blaise. "And that tubby cow Weasley isn't much better. I wish I could fix the pair of them so they left Hermione alone."

"Anytime you want to pay Potter a visit in the middle of the night, just say the word." Blaise grinned evilly at his best friend. "But this could maybe help you with Weasley."

Blaise reached into his pocket and subtly pulled out a vial of clear liquid. Still being discreet, he transferred the vial to Draco's hand.

"What is it?" Draco asked, looking at the vial in his hand.

"It's a handy little potion Snape provides me and Theo with." Blaise explained quietly, making sure no-one could overhear them. "We went to him the first time The Dark Lady gave us a special assignment. A drop of that potion into someone's food or drink works its way into the blood stream and kills them in their sleep. It's designed to find a pre-existing condition and intensify it, resulting in death. It's untraceable, making it the perfect murder."

"What if there is no pre-existing medical condition?" Draco questioned.

"It just kills whoever ingested it in the way least likely to arouse suspicion." Blaise answered. "But I doubt that'll be a problem with Weasley. Just look at her, she's bound to have some sort of medical condition. And even if she doesn't, she was certainly worked up tonight and that can trigger heart attacks and all sorts."

"This does sound appealing." Draco said. While he would feel bad for killing Charlie's mother as he considered the older wizard a friend, he wouldn't regret getting rid of someone who was causing problems for Hermione. "So, why do you have a vial with you tonight?"

"I always carry one." Blaise explained. "It pays to be prepared. You never know when you're going to get the nod from The Dark Lady."

"Are you sure you don't mind me taking this?" Draco checked with his friend.

"Firstly, you only need a drop. The vial you're holding contains enough to give to half a dozen people at least." Blaise answered. "And secondly, even if you had to use the whole lot, I wouldn't mind. I can easily get more."

"Thank Blaise, you're a good friend." Draco patted his friend on the shoulder before slipping off towards the bar.

Molly and Arthur were standing nearby and Draco was hoping to be able to slip the liquid into Molly's drink somehow. While he was at the bar, Draco ordered some drinks for him and Hermione. Just as the drinks arrived, so did his opportunity to silence Molly. Arthur made the short trip to the bar, and as he was ordering a glass of tonic water for Molly, he stood beside Draco.

"I'm really sorry for what happened." Arthur said to Draco. "Harry and Molly are just upset. It's been a rough couple of weeks for us."

"I'm sure it has, but we both know that's not the reason behind them lashing out." Draco said. "They hate my fiancée because of who her father is, and nothing will ever change that."

"If I can, I will. I believe The Dark Lady is actually doing some real good in the community. I can't say I believe in everything she believes in regarding muggleborns, but I certainly don't think she's evil." Arthur said, not noticing as Draco slid Molly's glass towards him, deposited a large drop of clear liquid into it and returned it to its original position on the bar.

"Thank you." Draco said to the older wizard. "It'll mean a lot to her that you're not judging her based on who her father is."

Arthur smiled at Draco, before picking up his drink and heading back to Molly. Draco watched long enough to know Molly had drank some of her water, before picking up his own drinks and heading off to find Hermione. He wasn't planning on telling Hermione what he'd done in case it didn't work, but if it did work he would tell her what happened and she could consider it an engagement present. If only he could now get rid of Potter then everything would be great. With no opposition they could finally settle down and try to live a normal life without all these conflicts.


	35. Molly's Departure

Lying in the spare room of the flat he shared with Ginny, Harry was beginning to regret his rash actions the previous night. He did genuinely believe The Dark Lady was behind Ron's death and Kingsley being sent to Azkaban, but he also knew he had no proof. When he first mentioned his theory to Tonks and Lupin a few days after Ron's death they informed him that The Dark Lady and Draco had been out of the country at the time of both Ron's death and Kingsley's arrest. Obviously with all her Death Eaters, she could still be responsible for what happened, but there was no way anyone was going to pin anything on her.

As he thought about how the press would undoubtedly react to the previous night, Harry groaned loudly, which didn't help his hangover. The press loved The Dark Lady, and he'd just played into her hands by acting so rashly. No doubt the papers would be calling him all sorts, and implying he was unstable. Instead of showing people what The Dark Lady was really like, all he'd managed to achieve was making himself look like an idiot.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Ginny suddenly barging into the spare room. The pair had argued after Harry's actions the previous night, so Harry was rather surprised to find his girlfriend appearing in the spare room so early in the morning. However it was immediately obvious that Ginny hadn't come to make-up, she was frantic about something.

"We have to go to Shell Cottage." Ginny said quickly. Shell Cottage was where Ginny's eldest brother Bill lived with his fiancée, Fleur Delacour. Bill had returned home from Egypt a few months ago with Fleur after the pair had gotten together while working for Gringotts. "Bill just sent a message, we need to get there as soon as possible."

"Why?" Harry asked as he sat up gingerly. "What's the rush?"

"I have no idea." Ginny replied. "But I have a bad feeling Harry, something terrible has happened I just know it."

"I'm sure everything's fine." Harry tried to reassure Ginny as he got off the bed. Luckily he hadn't bothered undressing the previous night, so while he was a bit dishevelled he was ready to go.

Ginny looked sceptical of Harry's words, and personally he couldn't blame her. He didn't really think everything was fine himself. If Bill had sent a message saying to get to Shell Cottage urgently, then something had happened. Arthur and Molly were staying with Bill and Fleur while the Burrow was being repaired after the fire, so Harry wasn't sure if the drama involved Ginny's brother or her parents.

Flying down the stairs as quick as they could, the couple grabbed some floo powder and headed off to Shell Cottage. The second they arrived in the front room, Harry knew whatever had happed was bad. The atmosphere was so tense that you could cut it with a knife. Arthur was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, and he didn't even look up when Ginny and Harry stepped from the fire. Fred and George were sitting on the sofa, both with tears streaming down their face. Charlie was standing in the doorway between the living room and kitchen looking sombre, and behind him in the kitchen Fleur was visible making tea.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, looking around at the various members of her family.

Before anyone had a chance to reply the fire lit up again and Percy stepped from the flames. Like Ginny, he took one look at his family before demanding to know what was happening.

"It's Mum." Charlie said quietly. Arthur was in no state to talk and Bill was upstairs, so as the oldest he felt he should be the one to break the news to his siblings. "She's dead."

"No." Ginny howled, dropping to her knees.

Harry immediately sank down next to his girlfriend and wrapped her in his arms as he joined her in crying for the woman he considered a mother.

"How?" Percy asked, fighting back his own tears.

"We're not sure yet. Bill's upstairs with Molly's Healer." Fleur answered as she entered the room with a tray of tea. It was obvious to everyone that the French witch had been crying, and she looked as though she could burst into fresh tears at any minute.

"When Dad woke up this morning, Mum was already gone." Charlie added. "It looks like she went sometime during the night."

"When you say Mum's healer, do you mean a healer that has come out today, or a healer Mum's seen before?" Percy questioned.

"Molly's seen him before." Arthur whispered from his chair. "After Ron, she was finding it hard to cope. He told her she was too stressed and needed to relax more. He was worried she would keel over if she over exerted herself."

"And she was so relaxed last night." Percy snapped, glaring at Harry. "Idiots winding her up."

"What idiots?" George asked. "What are we missing?"

"Last night at the Ministry charity evening, Harry here showed up drunk and started laying into The Dark Lady." Percy explained. "Of course Mum joined in, and if Charlie hadn't intervened she would have actually hit poor Miss Riddle."

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered. "I had no idea."

"We've told you before about winding Mum up." Percy fumed. "You were the same with Ron. If you'd just left well alone, then this wouldn't be happening. We wouldn't have lost our mother."

"It's not Harry's fault, Percy." Fred said quietly.

"He hasn't exactly helped matters though, has he?" Percy retorted.

"Enough." Charlie called, bringing an end to the bickering. "We're all upset and on edge, let's not say anything we'll regret."

Nodding at his brother, Percy walked over to the sofa and perched next to Fred. Without his anger to concentrate on, he dissolved into quiet tears. For several minutes everyone sat quietly, the only sounds being the crying of various members of the family. When footsteps were heard on the stairs, people brushed their tears away and turned to watch as Bill entered the room with a middle aged man they assumed to be the Healer.

"What was it?" Arthur asked the Healer. "What killed my Molly? Could I have saved her if I'd been awake?"

"No Arthur, you couldn't have done anything." The Healer told the devastated man. "Molly died of a massive coronary. She wouldn't have even woke up. She died peacefully."

Arthur slumped back into his chair, a brief look of relief flickering over his feature before grief overwhelmed him again. In the space of three weeks he'd lost both a son and a wife, and he was a broken shell of the man he once was.

"What triggered the heart attack?" Percy asked. "Was it stress?"

"I can't say for sure, but it's the most likely cause." The Healer replied. "I made it clear that Molly wasn't to get worked up. She was in a fragile condition, and even the slightest thing could have tipped her over the edge."

Harry felt a wave of guilt crash over him at the Healer's words. This was all his fault, he'd killed Molly. If he'd just stayed away from the Ministry night the previous evening then Molly would have still being with them. Instead he'd wound her up, and now she was dead as a result.

"Excuse me." He muttered, walking blindly out of the front room and through the kitchen.

Once he was outdoors, Harry stood for several moments before pulling out his wand and apparating back home. He'd messed everything up, and the Weasley's would be better off without him. For the time being he'd be better off all alone, where he could plan his line of attack against The Dark Lady. His current plan wasn't working, instead it had failed spectacularly and cost the lives of people he loved. What he would do, was leave and work out how to bring The Dark Lady down. Only then would he return, but he vowed that no matter what plan he came up with it wouldn't involve the Weasley's or the rest of the Order. He wouldn't put his friends and family in danger any more.

With a decision made, Harry packed his stuff. He debated about just writing a note to Ginny, explaining why he'd gone, but in the end he decided she deserved more than that. Instead he waited for her to return, before explaining his decision. Ginny tried to talk her boyfriend out of leaving but Harry was adamant he was going.

"I'm sorry Ginny, I've made my mind up." Harry said as Ginny begged him not to leave. "I'll be back once I've found a way to bring The Dark Lady down."

"The Dark Lady, is that all you care about?" Ginny screamed. "I've just lost my mother, and all you're bothered about is a witch you've got a vendetta against."

"It's not a vendetta." Harry argued. "I just need to make people see how evil she is."

"You know what Harry, I don't think she is evil." Ginny said. "From where I'm standing all she's done is try to make a difference in the wizarding world. You're just obsessed because of who her father is, and frankly I'm sick to death of it. If you have to leave, don't bother coming back until you've learnt to let go and move on. If you're still trying to bring down a good witch, then I want nothing to do with you."

"You don't mean that Ginny." Harry gasped in shock.

"I do." Ginny glared at her boyfriend. "You're leaving me when I need you the most, all because of your vendetta against The Dark Lady. Unless you can move on from that, we don't have any sort of future together. Instead of trying to find a new way of bringing her down, why don't you work out what you really want in life. If it's me, I'll be here waiting when you're ready, and if not then it's time we said goodbye now."

"I don't want to say goodbye." Harry whispered.

"Then I hope you get over your obsession with The Dark Lady." Ginny replied. "It's me or her, Harry. Make sure you choose wisely."

Harry watched Ginny turn and head off to the bedroom, before he grabbed his bag and apparated away. With Ginny's ultimatum it looked as though he had a tough decision on his hands. Unless of course he could think of a way of bringing The Dark Lady down, unbeknown to Ginny and her family. He could always pretend to have let things drop, when really he was still plotting her downfall. Maybe that would actually be more successful, if he could lure The Dark Lady into a false sense of security then maybe she would slip up and show her true colours.

**[][][][][]**

Hermione hummed happily to herself as she made breakfast on Sunday morning. Draco was still asleep and she planned on treating her fiancé to breakfast in bed. Hermione grinned at the thought of Draco being her fiancé, and she looked down at her diamond ring. She could still hardly believe that Draco had proposed on Friday night, she'd had absolutely no idea he was even thinking about marriage.

Of course it would have been nice if their evening hadn't been disrupted by Harry and Molly, but at least the rest of evening had been perfect. Once Harry was gone, Molly had caused no more trouble and Hermione and Draco were able to enjoy the rest of their night together. Yesterday they'd gone to visit Hermione's parents, so they could break the news to them. Like Draco said, her father knew all about his proposal and he was extremely happy for them. Kathleen was equally as happy about her daughter's engagement, and warmly congratulated the couple.

After leaving her parents, Hermione and Draco had returned to the penthouse, which was where they'd spent the rest of their Saturday celebrating their engagement in a more intimate fashion. Hermione was hoping for more celebrations of a similar nature that day, which was why she'd decided on breakfast in bed. A nice breakfast would be the perfect start to a lazy Sunday in bed.

Arranging everything on a tray, Hermione grabbed the paper and headed off to the bedroom. Sometime while she was making breakfast Draco had woken, as when she re-entered the bedroom he was emerging from the bathroom. Like her, he hadn't bothered to put any clothes on and Hermione admired his naked form as he made his way back to the bed.

"Were you in the kitchen naked?" Draco asked as Hermione placed the breakfast tray on the bed and sat down on her side of the bed.

"Why, worried your father was going to walk in on me again?" Hermione teased.

"I hadn't actually thought of that." Draco frowned. He had been thinking of the fun they could have had both being naked in the kitchen, but now he was worrying about someone unexpectedly showing up and seeing all Hermione had to offer.

"Don't worry, the floo's locked completely and we erected a ward barring apparition on Friday night." Hermione reassured her fiancé. "No-one could have walked in on me, apart from you."

"Disappointed are you?" Draco grinned cheekily, cocking an eyebrow at his fiancée. "I bet you were dying for me to sneak up on you and take you over the kitchen table."

"I'm sure we can still live out that little fantasy." Hermione smirked. "As well as one I have about my desk in the study. But they can wait until later, right now I'm hungry."

"Now you mention it, so am I." Draco said, grabbing a piece of toast. "I seem to have worked up a bit of an appetite this weekend."

"Make sure you build up your strength, I'm nowhere near done with you yet." Hermione chuckled.

"Promises, promises." Draco winked at Hermione, as he picked up a glass of juice.

Chuckling at her fiancé, Hermione picked up the paper and began flicking through it as they ate breakfast. Occasionally she would mention something of interest to Draco, but it wasn't until half way through the paper that she saw something truly intriguing. It was just a small article, with very sketchy details, but Hermione devoured every word of it.

"What are you studying so intently?" Draco asked as he moved the tray with the remains of the breakfast off the bed.

"Molly's dead." Hermione answered. "She died in her sleep on Friday night. Apparently she had a fatal heart attack and when Arthur woke up on the Saturday, she was gone."

"It worked, Blaise was right." Draco declared happily.

"What worked?" Hermione questioned, looking up from the paper.

Draco explained to Hermione what he'd done on Friday evening, after the incident with Harry and Molly. As he spoke his initial enthusiasm began to wear off as Hermione just sat looking at him with a black expression. He'd thought he was doing something good, but maybe he'd made a big mistake.

"I thought I was doing the right thing." He said quietly. "I did it for you, Hermione. You and I both know she wasn't going to stop having a go at you. I wanted to remove some stress from your life."

"You did this for me?" Hermione asked. When Draco nervously nodded his head, Hermione smiled brightly at her fiancé. "Thank you."

"You're not mad?" Draco checked.

"No, I'm not mad." Hermione chuckled. "You're right, Molly was proving to be a problem. She wasn't going to back down, she would always have been there to spread her poison and stir the pot. You just saved me a job later on, now all we've got to worry about is Harry."

"I can take care of him anytime you want, just say the word." Draco said. While he hadn't minded taking some initiative with Molly, he knew Harry was a different matter and he wouldn't dream of doing anything to him without first getting Hermione's approval.

"Let's forget all about Harry, and anyone else who might be a problem." Hermione said, throwing the paper onto the floor. "You've just done something to make my life easier, so I really should thank you."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Draco questioned.

Hermione laughed lightly as she pushed Draco back against the pillows and straddled his hips. "You just lie back and have a good time." She smirked, before her lips started trailing down his body towards his waiting manhood.


	36. Wedding Preparations

**A/N – As always, thanks for the brilliant support for The Dark Lady. Now Harry is out of the picture for a while it's time to concentrate on Draco and Hermione and their relationship. The next handful of chapters are purely about their relationship, but Harry will be back and with him he'll bring more trouble. Until then enjoy the fluff as the happy couple prepare to tie the knot.**

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In the few months following her engagement to Draco, Hermione was busier than ever as she expanded her influence across the globe. Luckily while Hermione was so busy, things had calmed down with the Order. In fact Hermione was fairly confident that they were no more and would be causing no more trouble.

A few days after Molly's death, Hermione was surprised to discover that Harry had upped and left. He'd quit his quidditch career, left Ginny and disappeared. Initially Hermione wondered if it was all part of a trick on Harry's part, but Charlie confirmed he'd genuinely left. According to Charlie there'd been a bit of bad feeling following Molly's death, and Harry had gone off because he blamed himself for helping to cause her death.

As for the rest of the Order, without Harry they just seemed not to want to cause problems, leading Hermione to believe he was the ringleader and if it wasn't for him they would never had fought her at all. All the Professors who had been in the Order had long since ceased to be problematic to Hermione, and they were all happily carrying on teaching at Hogwarts. McGonagall had even reclaimed her position as Deputy Headmistress, and according to Severus once the staff got used to the changes he and Lucius had implemented they were no bother.

The only other people Hermione had been worried about was Tonks and Lupin. After Kingsley's arrest, Tonks had been making a fuss, but Lucius had been right and once she calmed down she was no problem. These days she was happy to carry on as an Auror, while Lupin did whatever he did these days. Blaise and Theo had confirmed that since Kingsley's arrest, Tonks hadn't bothered them in the slightest, in fact according to them she was starting to become friendlier towards them. Hermione herself had witnessed Tonks' lack of attitude when she'd visited the Ministry to speak to Lucius and ended up sharing a lift with the other witch. Tonks had politely said hello, and never once looked at Hermione as though she hated her all the time they were in the lift together.

Without the Order to worry about, Hermione had been fully focused on expanding her empire. She started making plans for her museum and library, as well as taking several overseas trips to start her schools across the globe. As well as schools she'd also agreed to open shopping centres in a few countries. With the schools she made a deal with the government, she would build the school and she would own it for five years, after that she would sell it to the Ministry on the strict understanding that it remained a school for young witches and wizards.

However she made it clear she would only work in countries that followed Britain's example and had a muggleborn registration. A batch of countries were hesitant to put the registration into effect, but so far they were slowly relenting as they saw how profitable it was to be working with The Dark Lady. Initially Portugal had been one of the countries not willing to introduce a muggleborn registration. But when a few senior officials from their Ministry put in for transfers to a country which either had one of Hermione's schools, or were going to get one, they hastily rethought the idea and once it was in place Hermione made a deal with their government to build a school in Portugal.

Hermione knew it would take years before every country was on board with the plans, but with each passing month there was becoming less and less places in the wizarding world where muggles were welcomed without restrictions. Even in those countries that had restrictions, Hermione had assigned a Death Eater to do what Draco was doing in Britain and slowly ensure the muggleborn population dwindled to nothing.

For nearly three months, all Hermione did was travel. With Draco having his own business to run he wasn't often available to accompany her, and when he wasn't at her side, Hermione missed him terribly. Lavender accompanied her on all of her trips as her P.A. and Hermione found herself grateful that she'd told the other witch of her true identity. It made things so much easier and it also meant they were able to spend a bit of time together socially, which was handy when they were in a foreign country and didn't know anyone else. Hermione often found it amusing how much she liked Lavender these days, when she'd spent years at school being annoyed by her. However, it was very clear that there was more to Lavender than the gossipy girl she'd often appeared to be in school, and Hermione liked the real Lavender very much.

Greg also accompanied Hermione and Lavender on a few of their trips. Whenever Hermione had a building in another country, she brought Greg along so he could draw up the plans for the building and ensure the workers she hired knew what they were doing. Technically Greg was actually the boss on any of her buildings, but they always hired wizards and managerial staff from the country they were building in. Once the buildings were fully functional the staff were also hired from whatever country the building was in. Hermione was trying to give something useful to the wizarding world, and staffing her schools and other businesses with her own people wouldn't work. Her schools were designed for each individual country, and it was people from those countries that needed to be working in them and running them.

On the trips where Greg would be with them, Hermione did try and arrange it so Draco could be with her for at least part of the trip. Greg and Lavender's relationship was blossoming nicely and Hermione often felt like a gooseberry when the couple got all starry eyed about each other. As happy as Hermione was that the couple had found happiness together, she preferred it when Draco was around. At least that way the two couples could go their separate ways in their free time, without anyone feeling abandoned.

With all her work, Hermione had barely had time to even think about her wedding but nearly three months after Draco proposed that was about to change. She'd just come back from a trip to New Zealand, and after she'd checked out her businesses, she was going home so she and Draco could finally talk about their wedding. Hermione had already let Lavender get off home, so once she'd checked everything was running smoothly at the office she left for a tour of her empire.

The first place Hermione visited was the museum and library that was still being built. She already had contracts in place for artefacts to be housed from around the world and she was starting to build a substantial rare and unique book collection. The building itself wouldn't be finished for another couple of months, but it truly was amazing and Hermione hoped it would be her biggest success to date.

After leaving the museum, Hermione checked on her charity project. She still held regular fundraisers and money for the charity was pouring in. Research however was moving much slower, but the wizard in charge of the project, Daniel Dillon, reassured her that they were making progress. As Daniel explained, it was a long job looking for a cure to the squib gene and they just had to be patient.

From her charity, Hermione headed to the shopping centre. As always the place was buzzing with activity, and she spent nearly five minutes chatting with Fred Weasley. She'd ran into Fred wandering around the shopping centre, handing colourful balloons and treats to children to encourage them to visit the joke shop. Despite not having much contact with the twins in her Dark Lady persona, Hermione found they were both as friendly as ever and seemed perfectly okay with her.

Hermione's visits to both the school and the animal sanctuary were short and sweet. As usual the school was running perfectly, and a quick chat with Narcissa revealed no problems. Classes for every year were full, and the parents were thrilled with the education their children were receiving. After promising Narcissa, she and Draco would be over for dinner sometime soon, Hermione left the school and headed to the animal sanctuary. There she encountered a hung-over Charlie, who was complaining that he wasn't going out on the pull with Blaise ever again. In between Charlie's complaints about what Blaise had talked him into, Hermione found that the sanctuary was running smoothly. The animal count was rising nicely and the educational visits from Hogwarts and her school were a big hit with the youngsters.

Finally Hermione's tour reached its end and she headed home. When she arrived home, she was thrilled to see Draco had finished work early and was waiting for her. She was even more thrilled when he said he'd arranged dinner, with the help from an elf from the Manor, and had a nice bath already ran for her.

"You are the perfect fiancé." Hermione told Draco, before she headed off for a soak.

By the time Hermione had removed her glamour's, bathed and dressed, Draco had dinner waiting for her on the dining room table. Sliding into her seat she thanked her fiancé as they settled down to enjoy a meal together for the first time in over a week.

"So where's your next trip to?" Draco asked.

"I don't know." Hermione shrugged. "I've got nothing planned for a while, I don't want to overstretch myself. I've got all the time in the world to spread my wings across the globe. Right now, I thought I could stay at home more. The museum still needs work, and I thought we could begin to plan our wedding."

"I like the sound of that." Draco smiled.

"I'm telling you now it won't be the easiest thing to sort." Hermione warned. "There's a few things I want which might prove tricky to organise."

"Why don't we finish dinner, then we can settle in the front room with a glass of wine and you can tell me what you want." Draco suggested.

Hermione agreed to Draco's suggestion and the rest of the meal was spent discussing their respective work. Once dinner was finished the pair cleaned up and headed into the front room with a glass of wine. Curling up together on the sofa, they headed back to the conversation regarding their wedding.

"Firstly, I'm not getting married as The Dark Lady." Hermione began.

"I didn't expect you to." Draco told his fiancée. "And personally, I wouldn't want you to. I want to marry you, not your public persona."

"That means the wedding has to be small and intimate." Hermione pointed out. "Only the Death Eaters, and a select couple, know who I really am, and I'm not changing that now. I want no-one at the wedding that doesn't already know who I am."

"We'll need to think about the Minister." Draco said thoughtfully, running over the logistics in his head. "We can find someone we can pay for their silence, or we could even just hire someone and make sure their memories are wiped afterwards."

"Both are possibilities." Hermione said. "I guess we'll make that decision once we've decided about the wedding itself."

"We can have a quiet ceremony for our close friends and most trusted Death Eaters, where you're not wearing your glamour charms. We can then have a large party to celebrate our wedding and you can attend that as The Dark Lady." Draco said. "That will also be a great place to deal with the press. There's such a big thing surrounding you, we'll either have to invite a select few or release some sort of picture and statement. The last thing we want is to shy away from the media and have the press sniffing around."

Hermione nodded as she thought about Draco's suggestions. "I like that. We have the ceremony where we get married and that's small and intimate, then we throw a big party. Again the press can be something we can decide on later. As you say we can invite a select few, or release something ourselves, or we could even do both."

"That's that then, all we need now is a date so we can do some serious organising." Draco grinned happily as he finished his glass of wine and topped both his and Hermione's up from the bottle he'd brought in from the kitchen.

"Not quite." Hermione corrected. "We're actually going to get married twice. The second time will be the small, intimate ceremony for our friends."

"What about the first time?" Draco asked.

"That will be purely family, with four guests." Hermione answered. "I want my father there when I get married. I know it will take a lot of organising, but I thought we could get married in front of my parents and yours a few hours before the second ceremony. Us six will be the only ones who know we're already married, everyone else will think the second ceremony is when we get married."

"That is most definitely going to take some organising." Draco said, letting out a low whistle as he thought about how complicated it would be to arrange it so Voldemort was at the wedding. "But, together I'm sure we can do it."

Hermione smiled at Draco as she leant over and wrapped her arms round him. "Thank you for being so understanding."

She knew it wouldn't be easy accommodating her father, given that he was supposed to be dead, but there was no way she was getting married without him. However she knew any difficulties they faced could be overcome by her and Draco working together. Hermione knew that if she wanted her father at her wedding then Draco would do everything in his power to ensure it happened. That was one of his best qualities, he would do anything to ensure she was happy, and what would make her happy was to have her father at her wedding.


	37. Finding the Right Man for the Job

Lucius and Hermione were sitting in Lucius's office at the Manor. The pair were supposed to be going over some Ministry business, but Hermione's mind was elsewhere. Instead of concentrating on what Lucius was saying, Hermione's mind was on her upcoming wedding.

After making a decision about the ceremony and celebration, Draco and Hermione had set the date for the wedding as the last week of February. The couple had then booked an exclusive hotel as the venue. For the ceremony itself they'd booked the roof garden of the hotel, and for the celebration party they'd booked a large ballroom which opened out into the exquisite gardens of the hotel.

Both the ceremony and the celebration were almost planned, with the help of Kathleen and Narcissa. Kathleen had actually done the bulk of the organising, but Narcissa had been a great help when she'd not being at the school. Together the three witches had organised the perfect wedding and celebration.

The only problem was with the person conducting the ceremony. So far Draco and Hermione hadn't found anyone to marry them. Hermione still wanted a private ceremony so her father could witness the event. They had spoken about just disguising him for the ceremony at the hotel, but it just wasn't practical. Hermione didn't want her father to have to hide, just like she wasn't going to hide behind her Dark Lady persona. Then there was the fact whoever married them would be finding out her true identity, and she had to be able to trust them. Draco had suggested that they just hired a Minister and after the event they obliviated them, or if necessary they could even get rid of them. Hermione however, wasn't happy with either option. While she had no problem with getting rid of people in her way, she didn't want her wedding day to be tainted. In years to come she didn't want to look back at their wedding and remember they'd either obliviated or disposed of the person who had married them.

"Something tells me we're not going to be getting very far." Lucius remarked, shutting the file he had opened and drawing Hermione's attention back to the present.

"Sorry Lucius." Hermione smiled apologetically at her right hand man.

"It's fine." Lucius smiled back at Hermione. "It's perfectly normal for you to be distracted with the wedding coming up."

"If we don't find someone to conduct the ceremony soon, there won't be a wedding." Hermione sighed.

"My offer's still open." Lucius told the young witch.

As Minister for Magic, Lucius was fully qualified to conduct a wedding ceremony, and he'd offered his services to the couple. Both Hermione and Draco had been grateful for the offer, and they knew it would eliminate problems with Voldemort, but neither were totally happy with Lucius marrying them. As father of the groom they would both rather he was just witnessing the ceremony, rather than conducting it.

"We appreciate it." Hermione told Lucius.

"But it's not what you want." Lucius nodded understandingly. To be honest even though he'd made the offer, he would rather just sit back and watch his son get married.

"It's not, but we might have to resort to that." Hermione admitted. "Especially since I want my father to be there."

"There is another option." Lucius offered. "I've been looking into it, and almost anyone can become licensed to conduct a wedding ceremony. And with me being Minister, I can quicken the process up and ensure everything goes through smoothly."

"So all we would have to do is find someone we trust, someone father wouldn't mind confiding in." Hermione mused.

"If you find someone let me know." Lucius said. "Although even with my influence, I'll need a good few weeks to get all the paperwork done. If this is the route you're going down, you'll have to make a decision quickly."

Hermione nodded and thanked Lucius for his suggestion. After deciding they would try another day to go over the files Lucius wanted Hermione's opinions on, the brunette witch headed home. When Hermione had left for the Manor, Draco had been doing some work of his own but when she arrived back at the penthouse, Hermione found her boyfriend sprawled on the sofa with his eyes closed. Kicking off her shoes, Hermione tiptoed towards her boyfriend and crawled onto the sofa with him. Draco didn't react as Hermione settled herself beside him as she thought over what Lucius had just told her.

It was over half an hour later that Draco's eyes finally opened and he found Hermione lying snuggled up beside him. Dropping a kiss onto the top of his fiancée's head, Draco smiled at Hermione as she looked up at him.

"Hey. You should have woken me." Draco said. "I didn't expect you back so soon."

"We weren't getting anywhere." Hermione answered.

"Are you still worrying about the wedding?" Draco questioned his fiancée as they sat up on the sofa.

"Actually, I think your father has solved our problem." Hermione replied, before telling Draco what Lucius had told her.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Draco asked.

"Actually I do." Hermione nodded. "What do you think about asking Severus?"

"I like it." Draco replied thoughtfully. Severus had always been there for him personally, and he was one of Hermione's most trusted Death Eater's.

"I think father will approve as well." Hermione said. "Of course, before we talk to Severus we'll have to talk to him first."

Draco nodded and the couple made plans to go and see Hermione's parents the following evening. If they got Voldemort's approval to talk to Severus, they would then speak to him and bring him in on the secret of Voldemort still being alive.

**[][][][][]**

Hermione was in the bedroom when she heard the floo network sound. Moments later she heard Draco greeting their guest, and the voice of their former Potions Professor soon reached her ears. Hermione let the two wizards talk for a few minutes as she finished getting ready. Since she was at home her glamour's weren't necessary, but she'd just had a shower and was sorting her hair.

When Hermione left the bedroom and entered the front room she found Draco had already given Severus a drink. While Hermione greeted Severus, Draco poured her a drink and handed it to his fiancée.

"I'm assuming this invitation isn't just so we can have a drink." Severus remarked as everyone settled down.

"We do have an ulterior motive." Hermione told the older wizard. "We want to ask you a massive favour."

"We want you to conduct our wedding ceremony." Draco said.

Severus gaped at the couple for several moments, before he found his voice. "I don't understand. How can I conduct the ceremony?"

Hermione explained about what Lucius had told them, and his promise to ensure all the paperwork would go through as quickly as possible.

"I'm very flattered, but I still don't understand why you want me to do this." Severus said. "Why not just find someone who conducts wedding ceremonies?"

"A couple of reasons." Hermione answered. "Firstly, I want to get married as myself, not The Dark Lady. For that to happen, we need someone we can trust. Someone who knows who I am."

"I'm sure Lucius could buy someone's silence on that matter." Severus retorted. He knew there was something else going on, but he just couldn't work out what.

"I'm sure he could." Hermione nodded. "But we actually want you to conduct two ceremonies. The main ceremony is going to be fairly private with just close friends and family, but we want a ceremony before that. A ceremony my father can attend."

"Excuse me?" Severus's mouth dropped open and he looked at Hermione as though she was crazy. Her father had been dead for a good few years, so how on earth did she expect him to attend her wedding.

"I guess we should explain." Hermione chuckled at Severus's shocked reaction. "I'm sure this will come as a shock, but I'm about to tell you the real story of my father."

For the next half hour Severus sat in shocked silence as Hermione explained everything that had happened with her father since his return to full strength at the end of her fourth year at Hogwarts. Severus was totally amazed that Voldemort was still alive, but he could definitely understand the reasons behind the decision. Even now he knew there would be problems within the Death Eaters if they knew The Dark Lord was still alive. With Voldemort in the picture there was no way they would respect Hermione as their leader, she'd only been able to establish herself because people believed her father was dead.

"Now do you understand our problem?" Draco asked Severus. "Only someone we truly trust can do this."

"And what does your father think of this?" Severus questioned Hermione. "Is he alright with you telling me his secret?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Hermione smiled. "He wants to see you, if that's okay."

"Yes." Severus nodded. "I'd like to see him."

"We'll have to go to him." Hermione explained as she walked over to the fire and unlocked the floo network. "He's not up to making visits."

Severus got up and once Hermione had given him her parents address he disappeared into the emerald flames. When he arrived at the Riddle's house he was surprised to find Kathleen standing in the middle of the room. Severus knew her as a fellow Death Eater, but he'd had no idea she was married to Voldemort and was Hermione's mother.

While Severus and Kathleen were saying hello, Draco and Hermione stepped from the fire. The couple were just greeting Hermione's mother when the door to the front room opened and Voldemort entered the room. Severus lowered his head in mark of respect for the wizard, but he couldn't help but stare at the old man Voldemort had become. He was still very recognisable as the dark wizard that once ran the Death Eaters, but his age had really caught up with him with the loss of his magic.

"Severus, it's so nice to see you." Voldemort greeted the wizard he hadn't seen in a few years.

"It's nice to see you too, My Lord." Severus replied. "Even if it was a shock to discover you were still alive."

"I'm sure it was." Voldemort chuckled. "Sit down, and we can catch up."

Severus did as requested and settled down with The Dark Lord. Hermione, Draco and Kathleen also sat down and for the next couple of hours the group happily chatted to one another. Severus found out a lot more about Voldemort and Kathleen's relationship, and what had happened since Voldemort's failed attempt to regain his full power. Severus also filled Voldemort in on what was going on at Hogwarts, and in his life.

Eventually the conversation drifted onto the wedding, and the reason why Severus had been confided in. Both Hermione and Draco made it clear to Severus that if he didn't feel comfortable with conducting the ceremony there would be no hard feelings. Hermione also reassured him that they trusted him to keep Voldemort's secret and his life or memories weren't in danger.

"I'd be honoured to conduct the ceremony." Severus told the young couple. "I just hope you're going to give me some sort of guidelines on what to say."

"Of course." Draco chuckled. "I'm sure we'll be running over the ceremony a few times, just to make sure everything's perfect."

"Of course we will." Kathleen stated. "This wedding will run perfectly. And the key to perfection is practice."

Severus chuckled as Draco rolled his eyes at his future mother-in-law. It was clear where Hermione got her perfectionist nature from as Kathleen started listing things that still needed to be done for the wedding.

"You'll have to make sure you get Lucius to sort this as soon as possible." Kathleen told Hermione and Severus. "Now you've made a decision about the ceremony, we need to ensure everything is in place with Severus's paperwork. The last thing we want is for this wedding not to be legal."

"We've still got over six weeks until the wedding." Hermione told her mother. "Everything will be sorted by then."

"I should hope so." Kathleen replied. "These six weeks will fly by, just you watch. Before you know it, it'll be your wedding day."


	38. Wedding Bells

Hermione stood in the centre of her childhood bedroom, thinking how right her mother had been. The last six weeks had flown over and Hermione could barely believe it was her wedding day. The previous night she'd returned to her childhood home and had spent the night in her old room. Despite not living at home for almost eighteen months, Hermione felt as though it was only now that she was leaving home. The fact that she was getting married seemed to make everything so much more final.

Even though the room contained none of her personal effects, bar the ones she'd brought with her the previous evening, the room still felt like hers. Looking around, Hermione was swamped with happy memories of her childhood. She could remember her parents reading to her and her father telling her stories about what life would be like when he was in power. Hermione smiled as she remembered her father promising her that she could have anything her heart desired once he was in charge of the wizarding world. Even though it wasn't Voldemort in charge, she was pleased that the rest of his promise still held true. In Draco she had everything she'd ever truly wanted.

"Hermione, how are you getting along?" Kathleen called as she knocked on the door and poked her head around her daughter's door.

"Fine." Hermione replied, even though she hadn't done anything but put her underwear on. Her hair and make-up needed to be done before she could even consider putting her dress on.

"You don't look fine." Kathleen tutted. "Give me two minutes and I'll be back to help you with your hair and make-up."

It was actually five minutes before Kathleen returned and settled Hermione down in front of her dressing table. With magic it took less than half an hour to get Hermione ready. Kathleen started by taming Hermione's curls and gathering them at the nape of her neck with a diamond clip shaped like a rose. She then applied a delicate looking layer of make-up on Hermione, making it look as though she was barely wearing any at all. With hair and make-up done, Kathleen helped Hermione into her dress.

Hermione's dress was a strapless pure white number, which emphasized her curves. The bodice was covered with white lace, while the silk skirts floated down to the floor and created a small train behind her. To complete the outfit, Hermione added a pair of high heeled cream shoes, and some matching pearl earrings and necklace that had once belonged to her maternal grandmother.

"You look gorgeous." Kathleen gushed, looking at her daughter.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled at her mother. For the celebration later on, she had a very different dress and look planned, but for the actual ceremony she was happy to be a bit more understated.

"Are you staying up her until it's time?" Kathleen checked. "The Malfoy's and Severus should be arriving any minute."

"Shout me when everything's ready." Hermione told her mother.

Kathleen nodded and headed off downstairs to check everything was ready for the simple wedding ceremony. The library had been chosen as the perfect place to hold the ceremony, as its large French windows overlooked the garden. Hermione and Draco would say their vows in front of the window, while their parents watched on from across the room.

Nearly forty minutes after her mother left, Hermione emerged from her bedroom. Walking down the stairs, she was surprised to find her father standing outside the library. Since it was just a simple service, they had decided against any formal things like the father of the bride walking her down the aisle. There wasn't even anything like that in the second ceremony, which would be a virtual copy of this first one.

"Shouldn't you be in your seat?" Hermione asked her father.

"I wanted to see you before you entered the library." Voldemort admitted. Looking at his little girl so grown up, he felt tears stinging his eyes and even though Lucius and Narcissa were his most trusted friends he didn't want them witnessing how emotional the day was for him. "I wanted to let you know just how proud I am of you. You've blossomed into an amazing young woman, and I'm so lucky to have you as my daughter."

"I'm the lucky one to have you as my father." Hermione said, wrapping her father in a warm hug. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, princess." Voldemort said. Giving Hermione a kiss on the cheek, he gave her a warm smile before turning and entering the library.

Hermione gave her father time to get seated, before she walked over to the doors of the library and pulled them open. A green carpet had been laid on the ground from the door to the place in front of the window, where the ceremony was due to take place. Following the carpet, Hermione's eyes were firmly set on Draco as he stood in front of the window with the morning sun streaming into the room behind him. Draco was dressed in a new black suit and a crisp white shirt. The emerald green tie and the matching green rose in his button hole added a dash of colour to his outfit.

"You look amazing." Draco whispered as Hermione reached his side.

Severus was standing in front of the couple, while four chairs had been arranged a few paces away and their parents were occupying them. Both Kathleen and Narcissa held handkerchiefs in their hands, to stem the tears that would undoubtedly flow, while Lucius and Voldemort watched on with proud expressions on their faces.

"We are here to witness the union between Draco and Hermione." Severus began, a hint of nerves obvious in his voice. Hopefully the nerves would have gone by the time he conducted a second ceremony in a few hours' time. "Draco, if you would like to begin."

"Hermione, you are without doubt the most dazzling person I've ever known. You are so amazingly talented, and it's an honour to even know you." Draco began, taking Hermione's hand in his. "I would do absolutely anything for you, and I promise I will spend the rest of my life making you the happiest witch on this planet. I am so lucky to have you in my life, and every day I wonder what I did to deserve your love. No matter what happens in our life, I promise I will love you until the day I die."

"Hermione." Severus turned to the brunette witch. "It's your turn."

"Draco, you are my rock. Without you, I couldn't have achieved any of what I have done." Hermione said, smiling at her soon to be husband. "My life is so much richer with you in it, and I honestly don't know what I would do if I ever lost you. You are my whole world, and I can't wait for the amazing life I know we will create together. I love you more than anything in this world, and I promise I will never stop loving you."

Severus smiled at the couple, as he began reciting the more traditional vows for the pair to repeat. When it got to the ring part of the ceremony, Severus produced the two wedding rings that were sitting on a cushion beside him. Holding the cushion in between the pair, he instructed them to place the rings on each other's hands.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." Severus announced with a wide smile as the last of the official vows were over. "You may now kiss the bride."

While most of the room fully expected Draco to sweep Hermione into his arms, he settled for giving his new bride a tender kiss. After the kiss, the newly married couple turned to their parents who were all beaming widely, even though Narcissa and Kathleen were crying at the same time.

"We'll do the paperwork next time." Severus told the couple. "Everything's set up at the hotel, but you are officially married now."

"Thank you." Draco smiled at their former Professor. "We appreciate all you've done for us."

"You're welcome." Severus smiled at the couple. "Now if you excuse me, I'll be off to prepare for my next wedding. Although, I will have to take your rings back. At the next ceremony I'll place the protection spell over them."

The protection spell was an old pureblood ritual that was performed after the couple exchanged rings. It would ensure neither Hermione nor Draco could remove their wedding rings until one of them died.

After Severus left, Hermione and Draco spent an hour or so with their parents before it was time to head for the hotel for their second wedding. In that hour they'd even managed to take a few photos, as Voldemort wouldn't be present later on when more pictures would be taken. Hermione ensured she said an extra-long goodbye to her father, before people started to floo to the hotel. Draco and Lucius flooed directly to the suite they'd reserved for the groom while Hermione, Narcissa and Kathleen flooed to the adjoining suite they'd reserved for the bride. They'd also reserved the honeymoon suite for after the ceremony and later that evening, but for now the couple were to be kept separated.

"I'll go and ensure everything is set up on the roof." Narcissa announced, leaving Hermione and Kathleen to have some time on their own.

While Narcissa was gone, Kathleen retouched Hermione's make-up and re-clipped her hair so it was perfectly neat. The two witches then sat back and chatted for nearly an hour, until Narcissa returned and informed them that everything was ready to go. Since Kathleen's identity as Hermione's mother still wasn't going to be revealed, she left with Narcissa to take her seat up on the rooftop garden.

Once she was left alone, Hermione checked her reflection one final time before she made her way to the rooftop garden. For the last week the ceremony had been practiced several times so Hermione knew exactly where she was going, and within minutes she was standing in front of the doors that led out into the garden. Taking a deep breath, Hermione opened the doors and stepped out into the garden.

Hermione's entrance was greeted by the sound of a harp playing softly. Since they were already married, Hermione did think she might be able to take a look at their guests as she walked down the aisle, but her entire focus was on Draco once again. Despite already getting married once she was as nervous as the first time, and in a way it did truly feel as though this was the real wedding.

When Hermione reached the front, Draco once again told her that she looked beautiful. Hermione smiled at him as they held hands and recited their personal vows again. They then did their traditional vows, and once the rings were in place on their hands Severus performed the protection spell. As he did so a golden light emerged from his wand and wrapped round their hands, binding them for life.

"You may now kiss the bride." Severus announced at the end of the formalities.

Draco grinned wickedly at Hermione, before swooping her up in his arms and giving her a deep kiss. Hermione instantly melted into the kiss and as it became more heated they were vaguely aware of the catcalling and whistling coming from their closest friends. Finally they separated, and turned to the assembled guests with large smiles gracing their faces.

Before they had a chance to speak to anyone the official paperwork had to be done. Once everything was signed and sealed, Lucius gathered up the papers which he would file with the Ministry personally the next day. With everything finally official the couple greeted their guests, working their way over to where their friends were all waiting.

Theo and Daphne were attending the wedding as a couple, as were Lavender and Greg. Blaise and Charlie had attended the actual ceremony on their own, but Hermione and Draco had said they could bring dates to the celebration party later on that evening. Whether they would or not remained to be seen, but both Draco and Hermione suspected they would turn up on their own in the hopes of getting some action from one of the other guests.

"That was a lovely ceremony." Lavender said, as she gave Hermione a hug.

"And the vows were lovely." Daphne added as she hugged the couple.

"They were a bugger to write." Draco complained. "And my so called friends were no help."

"We offered you help." Blaise protested. "You shot our ideas down in flames."

"If I followed your advice the vows would have been X-rated." Draco snorted.

"I just told you to list Hermione's best points." Blaise shrugged.

"Actually I think you told him to list Hermione's best points in the bedroom." Theo told Blaise. "You then advised him to mention the best sex they'd ever had."

"Remind me never to attend a wedding of yours, Blaise." Hermione laughed.

"That won't be an issue." Blaise responded with a grimace. "I won't be getting married at all. Marriage is not for me."

"Yeah, playing the field is much more fun." Charlie added in agreement.

Hermione had to chuckle as Charlie backed up Blaise. She hadn't realised it until they became friends, but Blaise and Charlie really were kindred spirits. The pair were so alike in their views on marriage and their attitude towards women.

After spending a while with their friends, it was time for the photographs. Amycus Carrow was one of the guests, and he'd brought his camera along to photograph the happy occasion. While there would be pictures taken at the party later, these were strictly for Hermione, Draco and their families. It took about half an hour to get all the pictures, and Amycus promised to have them printed for when the couple returned from their honeymoon.

After the pictures, Draco and Hermione briefly made their way around their guests, thanking them for coming, before they started to leave. Everyone at the wedding was also invited to the celebration party, so they were all heading off to get ready for the fun. With their guests dispersing, Hermione and Draco made their way to the honeymoon suite. They now had a few hours to themselves, before they were expected to make their first appearance as a married couple.


	39. The Dark Lady Celebrates

"How do you think we should celebrate our marriage?" Draco asked, gently pulling Hermione into his arms the second they entered the honeymoon suite. "We do have a few hours to kill before the party."

"I'm sure you've already got an idea." Hermione smiled up at her husband.

"You know what, I think I do." Draco grinned back at Hermione as he dipped his head and engaged her in a searing kiss.

Hermione loosely wrapped her arms around Draco's neck as she moved closer to her new husband. As they continued to kiss, Draco's hands fell from around Hermione's waist. One moved downwards to her bum, while the other one travelled up towards her breasts. Hermione let out a soft moan when Draco's hand descended on her breast, but she quickly pulled away as his fingers tried to creep down her top.

"Don't you dare pull at this dress." Hermione warned. "It cost a fortune."

"You better get it off then. I want to make love to my wife, and the dress is just in the way." Draco warned in all seriousness.

Knowing Draco wouldn't be opposed to tearing the dress off her, Hermione reached behind her and slid the zipper down. Kicking off her shoes, she stepped out of her dress. Pulling her wand out of the hidden pocket inside the garment, Hermione magically hung the dress on a hanger in the wardrobe. She then removed her necklace and earrings and placed them safely in the empty box that was standing on the dressing table.

Clad in just her underwear, Hermione turned back to Draco and was pleased to see the desire burning in his grey eyes. Hermione's underwear consisted of a white strapless bra, and a pair of white knickers, and it was quite possibly the most virginal set of underwear she'd worn for a long time.

"Are you staying fully clothed?" Hermione asked Draco as he continued to stare at her.

Shaking his head in response, Draco began carefully removing his suit. Like Hermione, he used magic to hang it up so it wouldn't get wrinkled. When Draco was down to his green boxers, he stopped undressing and perched on the edge of the bed.

"Come here." He beckoned.

Hermione walked towards Draco and stopped just in front of him. Draco gently grasped Hermione's hips and pulled her forwards until she was standing in between his legs.

"You look so innocent in this." Draco said, gently running his hands up and down Hermione's legs.

"We both know I'm anything but innocent." Hermione smirked.

"You're right." Draco nodded. "You're a very bad girl."

Hermione chuckled and bent over so her mouth was next to Draco's ear. "Are you going to punish me?"

Draco growled lowly as fantasies of Hermione bent over his knee invaded his head. There was nothing that turned him on quicker than having The Dark Lady completely at his mercy, but now wasn't the time for that. On their honeymoon they could play about like that, but right now all Draco wanted was to take Hermione to bed and show her just how much he loved her.

"Maybe another time." Draco told Hermione. "I've already got plans for right now."

"And what are those plans?" Hermione asked as she brushed her lips over Draco's neck.

"Get on the bed and I'll show you." Draco ordered.

Hermione smiled at the slightly bossy tone in Draco's voice as she moved to settle on the large bed. As much as it was fun for her to be in charge in the bedroom, she much preferred it when Draco exerted his control over her. In Hermione's opinion there was nothing sexier than a dominant Draco.

Once Hermione was settled on the bed, Draco turned around and lay propped up beside her. Ever so slowly he moved to hover over Hermione, and gave his wife a lingering kiss. Breaking the kiss he gave Hermione a wicked smirk, before his lips set off trailing down her body. Hermione knew full well what Draco was going to do, he was going to slowly work his way down her body, teasing her and removing her underwear as he went. By the time he was finished, she would be a quivering mess, begging to have him buried deep inside of her.

Of course Hermione was completely right. Draco slowly made his way down Hermione's body, kissing and caressing every inch of her smooth skin. Her bra was the first to go, with Draco lavishing massive amounts of attention on both her breasts once he'd uncovered them. It was exactly the same with her knickers, once they were gone Draco spent an age giving his full attention to her newly exposed womanhood. All the teasing easily had Hermione writhing around on the bed underneath Draco. Luckily for Hermione, Draco didn't just tease and the result was an amazing orgasm, courtesy of his mouth and fingers.

"I love you so much." Hermione panted as Draco hovered over her, watching her recover from the experience that had just washed over her.

"Flatterer." Draco chuckled. "You just want a repeat performance."

"Not quite." Hermione smiled up at her husband. "I wouldn't mind the end result being the same, but it's not your fingers I want inside of me."

"What did you have in mind?" Draco grinned.

"This." Hermione answered. Reaching out and plunging her hand down Draco's boxers, she took hold of his hard erection.

"I'm sure I can oblige." Draco moaned as Hermione's hand slid up and down his hard length. "Although if you keep doing that, we'll have to wait a while."

"I'm not sure we'll have time to wait." Hermione said, stopping her actions. "We've got a party to get to in a while and we haven't even started to get dressed yet."

"I'm sure we'll be forgiven for being a bit late." Draco answered as he pushed his boxers down his legs.

"I'm sure we will." Hermione smiled, her eyes falling to Draco's exposed manhood. Parties were suddenly the last thing on her mind, all she was bothered about was right here and now, and what her and Draco could be doing rather than talking.

"See something you like?" Draco smirked, leaning back over and connecting his lips with Hermione's.

"Very much so." Hermione said as their kiss briefly ended. "Now make love to me, husband."

"Whatever you say, wife." Draco replied as he reconnected their lips.

As they were kissing, Draco easily buried himself inside Hermione. Their union produced a moan of pleasure from them both, as they enjoyed the moment they were joined together. Breaking the languid kiss they were sharing, Draco looked down at Hermione, who was smiling back up at him.

"I love you." Draco declared.

"I love you too." Hermione returned.

Sharing yet another deep kiss, the couple finally began to move. With their eyes glued to one another, the couple made love for the first time in their newly married state.

**[][][][][]**

Hermione hummed happily to herself as she sat at the dressing table, applying her Dark Lady glamour's. Half an hour ago she and Draco had finally dragged themselves out of bed, and after a quick shower they were in the process of getting ready for their wedding party. Luckily Narcissa had dropped off everything they would need for the party before the wedding, so all they needed to do was get ready.

Once her hair was jet black, Hermione waved her wand and piled it up on top of her head. She then added several emerald clips to her hair to keep her curls in place, and the result looked as though she'd weaved real emerald through her hair. Once her hair was sorted she applied her usual dramatic make-up, favouring green in the colour of her eye shadow. Hermione then turned her attention to her nails and changed them from the traditional French manicure to green with silver tips. Finally she added a pair of emerald teardrop earrings and a matching emerald teardrop necklace.

Satisfied with the details of her outfit, Hermione stood up from the dressing table and walked over to the wardrobe. Pulling out a pair of green high heeled shoes, she slipped them on her feet, before pulling her dress from the wardrobe. Her dress was a silver halter neck, and when it was on it clung to her like a second skin.

"Are you not putting underwear on?" Draco asked his wife as he emerged from the bathroom, wearing just his trousers, as Hermione was shimmying into her dress.

"Nope." Hermione answered, making sure the dress fell right. "Underwear doesn't work with this dress. You'll be able to see any bra I was to wear, and I don't want knickers to ruin the hang of the dress."

"You're such a tease." Draco groaned as he pulled on his dark green shirt. "Now I'll spend the entire party looking at you and knowing that you're not wearing anything under the dress."

"Just think of the fun you'll have trying to grab a feel." Hermione grinned wickedly at her husband, causing Draco to let out another groan as he pulled on his shoes.

Hermione laughed at Draco, and after checking they were ready the couple set off downstairs to join the party. They were maybe ten minutes later than scheduled, but they knew no-one would argue over their slightly late arrival. When they reached the ground floor, Blaise was waiting outside the ballroom they'd hired for the party.

"Wow." Blaise's eyes practically jumped from his head as he gaped at Hermione in her very sexy dress. "You are quite possibly the sexiest bride I've ever seen."

"Thank you Blaise." Hermione chuckled. "Now don't you have a job to do?"

"Yes, My Lady." Blaise nodded as he noticed the tone in which Hermione was speaking. She was very much The Dark Lady now, and it was his job to introduce the happy couple to their assembled guests.

Pulling open the doors to the ballroom, Blaise entered the room and called for silence. Everyone had been waiting for the newlyweds, so it didn't take too long for the room to fall silent and for everyone to turn to Blaise expectantly.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I present Mr and Mrs Draco Malfoy." Blaise announced to a wave of clapping and cheering.

At their friend's announcement, Draco and Hermione entered the room and the noise grew. Almost the whole room was filled with the Death Eaters, people Hermione and Draco worked with and a select few members of the press. There were a few minor reporters at the party, but the only one with access to the happy couple was Mason Riley. Mason had also brought his camera and Hermione had promised him a few shots of her and Draco together.

The party wasn't at all like a normal wedding reception. There was a cake that would be cut later, but there was no official speeches of formal dancing. Instead there was a band playing live music and a buffet for people to help themselves to food. Of course there was also waiters strolling around, making sure people had a supply of drinks. Mainly the party was just for people to mingle and have fun celebrating the wedding of Draco and The Dark Lady.

Within minutes of entering the room, Draco and Hermione found themselves separated as they were surrounded by well-wishers. Smiling happily and chatting to almost everyone the couple expertly worked their way through the crowds. Sooner or later they would find each other again, but for the minute they were content to mingle with their guests. After a few minutes, Hermione spotted Mason and she made a beeline for the reporter, wanting to check everything was okay with him and that he was enjoying himself.

"How does it feel being Mrs Malfoy?" Mason asked Hermione, as she greeted the reporter.

"It feels great." Hermione replied with a large smile.

"You certainly look happy." Mason remarked. He'd now met the young witch on several occasions, but he'd never seen her looking as blissfully happy as she currently did.

"I am happy." Hermione smiled. "I've just married the man I love, what's not to be happy about."

After chatting to Mason for another few minutes, and promising him some pictures and a chat with Draco later, Hermione headed off into the crowds in search of her husband. It took her another half hour, but eventually Hermione caught up with Draco chatting with a wizard from his office. Draco slid his arm around Hermione's waist and introduced her to the wizard he was speaking to. As it turned out the man was a high up employee in the Malfoy family company and he would be keeping an eye on the business while the couple were honeymooning. Of course Lucius would be on hand if needed, but given his position as Minister he couldn't handle things on a day to day basis.

As the party wore on, Hermione and Draco finally found themselves able to spend time with their friends. While the two other couples in their group of friends were happy to just sit and chat, Blaise and Charlie just kept popping over briefly to say hello. The pair were currently competing to see who could get the most kisses from witches at the party. No-one had no idea who was making sure they weren't lying, or what the winner received, but the two wizards were having a grand time chatting up all the females in the room.

After a couple of hours it was time to cut the cake, and everyone gathered around the table where the masterpiece stood. Hermione had given Mason permission to take some photographs of the event, and he got several lovely pictures of the happy couple cutting into their wedding cake. Once the cake was cut, they then posed for a few more pictures, before the party got well and truly underway.


	40. The Honeymoon

**A/N – This is the last chapter of pure Draco and Hermione fluff before a certain person rears his head again. A few people have asked about the length of this story, and to be honest I can't remember if I mentioned how many chapter it has as when I first started publishing this part I was still working on it. Anyway, it has 48 chapters, plus an epilogue. That means The Dark Lady will be drawing to a close next week.**

* * *

The warm Mediterranean sun shone down on Hermione as she strolled along the golden sands of the private Greek island her and Draco were honeymooning on. The pair were due to spend three weeks on the island, and since it was private there was no need for Hermione to use her glamour charms. So far the couple had been on the island for a week, and it had been an extremely enjoyable week. Their time had so far been shared between exploring the island they were on, and making love wherever possible. Clothing was very much a minimal requirement and the most Hermione had worn all week was a bikini.

Hermione had also been enjoying the total relaxation of the holiday. She hadn't once worried about what was going on back home. With the Order seemingly not a problem, she wasn't worried about them, and her businesses were all in good hands. As they always did, Charlie and Narcissa had things in hand at the magical creature's sanctuary and the school, while her charity was also in good hands. Lavender would no doubt have things at the office completely under control, while Greg would be ensuring things were running smoothly with the museum.

As much as Hermione had enjoyed her first week of honeymoon, she was anxious to get off the island for a while. She knew leaving the island and heading over to the mainland would mean she would need to apply her glamour charms, but the temptation to visit mainland Greece was just too much for Hermione. The entire country was awash with history, and Hermione knew that she would regret not exploring the place when she had the opportunity. Besides a few hours touring Greece wouldn't exactly ruin the honeymoon.

Deciding to broach the subject of heading over to the mainland with Draco, Hermione made her way back to the villa. Instead of entering the front of the villa, Hermione walked around the side of the house until she reached the back pool. When she'd left for her walk an hour earlier Draco had been sprawled out beside the pool, and Hermione was guessing that's where her husband still was.

Hermione was right and Draco was indeed still stretched out beside the pool. Wearing only a pair of green swimming trunks, he was lying on one of the sun loungers with his eyes closed. As Hermione walked over to Draco she realised he was asleep, if he'd been awake he would have already looked up as she approached him. Wondering if their earlier romp in the pool had tired him out, Hermione perched on the lounger next to Draco. When Draco still didn't move, Hermione ran her hands across his firm torso. Still not getting a reaction from her husband, she snuck her hand under the waistband of his trunks. Almost as soon as her hand wrapped around his manhood, Draco's eyes flew open.

"Hey." He grinned at his wife.

"Hi." Hermione smiled back at Draco. "You're awake."

"It looks like I've got good reason to be awake." Draco remarked, his eyes falling to where Hermione's hand was still in his swimming trunks. "The last thing I want to do is sleep and miss all the fun."

"There's no chance of that happening." Hermione laughed. She'd never known Draco ever sleep through a chance of sex, and he certainly never carried on sleeping when she touched him intimately.

"So now I'm awake the fun can really begin." Draco said, running his hand up Hermione's thigh.

"Not so fast." Hermione placed her free hand over Draco's. "Before we do anything, I've got something to ask you."

"Whatever it is the answer's yes." Draco replied quickly.

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask." Hermione pointed out.

"I'm hoping you're going to ask about some sort of new sexual position, or something new you fancy trying." Draco admitted. "And in that case my answer's yes. I'm always up for trying something new."

"I'm sure we can find something new to try over the course of the honeymoon, but that's not what I wanted to talk about." Hermione told her husband. "I want to visit the mainland."

"Why?" Draco frowned. The whole idea of coming to a private island was so that Hermione could be herself, so he wasn't sure why she would want to go and visit the mainland where she would have to wear her glamour charms.

"Because Greece is an amazing country, and I want to do some exploring." Hermione answered. "You know how much I love history, and this place is crawling with history."

"If that's what you want, we can arrange a few trips over to the mainland." Draco told his wife. Personally ancient history did nothing for him, but he would gladly visit the mainland if it made Hermione happy.

"Thank you, Draco." Hermione smiled at her husband as she leant over and gave him a deep kiss. "I promise I'll make the trips worth your while. In fact, I think I'll thank you for agreeing right now."

Draco was just about to ask how Hermione was going to thank him, when she moved from her position beside him and straddled him. Giving him another deep kiss, Hermione then began kissing her way down her husband's body. When she reached his swimming trunks the green material was soon discarded and she set about lavishing attention on the impressive erection that had just been exposed to her.

Draco lay back and thoroughly enjoyed the thank you his wife gave him. Once he'd recovered from the orgasm she'd given him, he flipped them over and pinned Hermione down on the sun lounger.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked as Draco tore her bikini off.

"First I'm going to make turn you into a whimpering mess, then I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon making love to you." Draco answered, gazing down at Hermione as she lay fully exposed underneath him.

"A whimpering mess?" Hermione arched an eyebrow at her husband. "That's an awfully cocky statement to make."

"I can deliver, I assure you." Draco smirked down at Hermione as his hand delved between her legs. "I know exactly how to turn you into a whimpering mess."

As if to demonstrate his point, his fingers expertly caressed Hermione's lower lips, causing a low moan to leave her lips.

"Told you." He whispered seductively as he bent his head and started kissing at his wife's neck and moving on down to her breasts.

"I'm not a whimpering mess yet." Hermione replied, arching into his touch and trying to control the sounds that were threatening to leave her.

"Give me time." Draco chuckled. "In a few minutes, you'll be so far gone you'll not be able to speak."

"Cocky git." Hermione muttered, before she let out a long contented moan as Draco slipped his index finger inside her.

Draco merely chuckled in response as he kept up his ministrations. Within five minutes he was proven right and Hermione was completely at his mercy. The only word she could manage to speak coherently was her husband's name, everything else just emerged as moans and whimpers.

After making sure Hermione was satisfied, with not one but two orgasms, Draco set about fulfilling the rest of his promise. He'd already turned his wife into a whimpering mess, but now he planned on spending the rest of the afternoon making love to her.

**[][][][][]**

Hermione and Draco strolled through the museum dedicated to ancient Greek history hand in hand. It was the couple's third and final venture onto the mainland from their private honeymoon island. The couple still had a few days to go of their holidays and they'd already agreed to spend them back on their island, completely and utterly naked.

So far the trips to the mainland had been a great deal of fun, and despite not being a lover of ancient history, Draco had thoroughly enjoyed himself. In fact he was actually deciding that history wasn't quite as boring as he'd always thought. Then again History of Magic back in school had probably been the most boring class ever, so it wasn't too surprising that he'd thought history was dull. Hermione however was showing him that history didn't have to be dull.

"As much as I've enjoyed myself on previous days, this place is rather boring." Draco whispered to Hermione. "It's so stuffy and uninspiring."

"I know." Hermione nodded. "This place has a reputation of being overly formal. The building is amazing, and had quite a lot of history itself, and of course the subject matter they showcase is very interesting, but for some reason it just isn't very popular."

"If you knew the place was so unpopular why did you insist we visit?" Draco asked.

"To make sure I don't make the same mistake with my museum." Hermione answered. "I want to create somewhere that inspires people, and motivates them to learn more about history. I don't want to have a dull, boring museum that no-one's interested in visiting."

"That won't happen." Draco reassured Hermione. "Out of all your projects, this is possibly the one you're the most passionate about. All you need to do is inject your own passion for history into the museum, and it'll be a success."

"Do you really think so?" Hermione asked.

"I really think so." Draco nodded. "You've convinced me history might not be so dull after all, and that was entirely down to you personally. This place certainly couldn't have grabbed my interest, but you did. I know your museum is going to be great."

"And don't forget the library." Hermione grinned as they carried on their tour of the museum. "I need to make sure that's somewhere people will want to visit. I don't want a quiet, boring library, I want a vibrant place where people can celebrate their love of books."

"I'm sure you can achieve that as well." Draco chuckled. "Although you will have to remember not everyone is a bookworm like you."

"I am not a bookworm." Hermione pouted.

"You spent almost all of your free time at school in the library." Draco retorted. Normally he wouldn't mention the fact he'd gone to school with Hermione, but they were alone in a room displaying ancient Greek vases.

"We both know my reasons for spending so much time in the library, wasn't purely for the books." Hermione replied.

"But you admit, part of it was the books."

"Okay, the big pull was the books." Hermione admitted. "I love to read, but that doesn't make me a bookworm."

"Whatever you say, my little bookworm." Draco teased.

"You want to be careful teasing me." Hermione warned. "The book I'm currently reading features a witch who puts her boyfriend on a sex ban when he annoys her. I might just get a few ideas if you're not careful."

"Remind me to get you a new book before we head back to the island." Draco said. "If you're going to get ideas from your reading I'll make sure it's something with a lot of sex."

"I don't need any ideas for that." Hermione laughed. "I've got plenty of my own."

"Really?" Draco looked at Hermione in interest. "I'm intrigued, tell me more."

"Actually, it goes back to the day we were married. Can you remember the comment about me being a bad girl and you punishing me?"

"Yes." Draco nodded, his mind instantly focusing on the same image of Hermione bent over his knee as he'd had the first time the topic came up.

"Well I was thinking that maybe tonight I could receive my punishment."

"Why wait for tonight?" Draco questioned with a smirk. "This place is boring, we could go back to the island now and I could punish you for dragging me around this place."

"You've got yourself a deal." Hermione grinned.

Still holding hands the couple exited the museum as quickly as they could. Once they were back into the open air, Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione and spirited them back to the island. Once back on the island they settled down to enjoy the rest of their honeymoon, totally unaware that their peace was about to be shattered in the coming months.


	41. Harry's Return

In a small cottage in the Irish wilderness, Harry Potter sat looking at the recent wizarding papers. Since leaving his old life behind months earlier, he kept himself pretty much cut off from the world. Once a month he ventured down to the nearby village and stocked up and food and grabbed a copy of the last month's papers so he could keep up with what was going on in the world. One day, when he was ready he would return, but for now he was happy to be alone and plot his next move against The Dark Lady.

With distance came a chance for Harry to look back over the last few years, and he could see his mistakes so clearly. The Dark Lady had played the perfect game, and he'd walked into every trap she'd set for him. She'd never had to work at convincing people he was in the wrong, he'd done that himself. His foolhardy ways had just made him look unstable and ridiculous. Maybe if he'd acted more thoughtfully he could have convinced people that The Dark Lady wasn't to be trusted. However what was done was done, and now he had to come up with a new plan to take down his nemesis.

Brushing thoughts of The Dark Lady to one side, Harry focused on the sports pages of the paper's he'd just picked up. The sports pages were how Harry kept track of Ginny, and her brilliant career. In only her first season she'd caused a stir in the game and was very much considered the brightest young player England had produced in decades. Occasionally she would appear in the gossip columns, but since her life revolved around her career and her family, she wasn't quite interesting enough for the gossip reporters to bother with her much. Early on after Harry left, Ginny had made it plain that she was waiting for him to return, but since then she refused to speak about her love life.

Harry was thrilled to see that Ginny's career was still going great, and her team were top of the league. In one of the latest papers he'd bought, Harry spotted that the Quidditch World Cup was due to be played in May, and Britain had been chosen to host the tournament. The games would be spread between all the countries in the British Isles, with the opening game being played in England.

In another of the more recent papers Harry had there was another article about the World Cup, and this one mentioned the possibility that Ginny would be selected to play for England. Being selected to play for your country in only your first season was a major deal, but the general opinion was that Ginny was good enough and it would be madness not to include such a talented player. At the thought of Ginny playing at the World Cup, Harry knew he had to be there. He had to support the witch he loved at such an important time in her life. Harry still felt bad that he'd left just after Molly died and wasn't there for Ginny, but hopefully being there for her now would go some way to making up for his past mistakes.

As Harry was contemplating his return home, he carried on flicking through the papers. When he was looking through the earlier papers, he found a large four page spread on the wedding of The Dark Lady. Harry's initial reaction was to ball the paper up and throw it away, but he stopped himself and instead chose to scour the article. If he wanted to bring The Dark Lady down, he needed as much information about her as possible.

Harry quickly read the gushing article, before focusing in on the pictures. Looking at The Dark Lady in her silver gown, Harry had to admit she had a stunning figure. If it wasn't for the fact she was an evil bitch, he might even have been a bit jealous of Malfoy having such a knock-out for a wife. Although how they'd ever thought she was Narcissa Malfoy was laughable to Harry, even the best glamour charms couldn't turn a woman Narcissa's age into the young woman The Dark Lady obviously was. Harry shook his head as he contemplated how wrong they'd gotten it, if only he hadn't followed Dumbledore's opinion on blind faith. If he'd really looked for himself, he would have seen that Dumbledore's theory was completely wrong.

As he went to close the paper, Harry paused and took a second look at one of the pictures in the top corner of the article. While the other pictures had clearly been posed for, this one hadn't, it was a candid shot of The Dark Lady and her new husband. In the picture Draco had his arm around his wife's waist and he whispered something in her ear. Her response was to shake her head and laugh at her husband. Harry wasn't sure what it was about the picture, but something just struck him as he looked at it. A pang of familiarity had hit him as he watched The Dark Lady shake her head and laugh at her husband. If Harry didn't know any better he could have sworn that he knew exactly what that laugh sounded like. But he'd never been close enough to The Dark Lady when she'd been laughing, so how could he hear her laugh in his head?

**[][][][][]**

As she got ready to go to lunch at The Burrow, Ginny wondered if it was time to leave her flat and return to the family home. She'd remained in the flat in the hopes Harry would soon return, but it had been months since he'd walked out and she hadn't heard from him. She hadn't received a Christmas card, or even a quick note just to say he was okay. For all Ginny knew he wasn't going to come home. After the fire that had killed Ron, The Burrow had been fixed up. However when it was time to return home Arthur had been hesitant to move back into the house without Molly. None of the family wanted to give up the family home, so Bill and Fleur had moved into The Burrow with Arthur. Ginny often spent time at The Burrow, but until now she hadn't wanted to leave the flat. Now she thought the time had come to admit to herself that Harry wasn't returning. It was time for her to focus on her family, specifically Arthur, who needed her.

Ginny was just about to floo to The Burrow when a knock on the door stopped her. She briefly contemplated ignoring the door and carrying on flooing to The Burrow, but instead she turned around and went to answer the door. When she pulled the door open, Ginny gaped at the sight of Harry standing on the doorstep. He was the last person she'd expected to see.

"Harry." Ginny gasped.

"Hi, Gin." Harry smiled tentatively at the redhead. He hoped they could pick up where they left off, but he did know there was a chance that Ginny might not forgive him.

"You're back." Ginny said. "You are back, aren't you?"

"If you'll have me." Harry said.

"You better come in." Ginny opened the door fully so Harry could enter the flat. "I think we need to talk."

Harry nodded in agreement, and followed Ginny into the kitchen. Sitting down at the small kitchen table, he watched as Ginny made some tea, before she settled down opposite him.

"I'm sorry." Harry said quietly. "I really shouldn't have left the way I did. You needed me, and I wrong to leave."

"Your timing wasn't great." Ginny admitted. "But depending what decisions you've come to, it might have been the right thing for you to do."

"You mean The Dark Lady?" Harry checked.

"Yes." Ginny nodded.

"I'm leaving her well alone." Harry lied. He still intended to bring The Dark Lady down, only this time he would do so without dragging anyone else into things.

"Really?" Ginny smiled happily at the revelation. "Can you really just forget about her, and concentrate on us?"

"Yes." Harry answered. "I'm not going to lie, I'm never going to like her and I don't trust her. But at the end of the day, what she does with her life is none of my concern. All I'm bothered about is you, and our future together. Providing we have a future."

"If you stick to your word, then we have a future." Ginny reassured Harry. "I love you Harry, but I won't let The Dark Lady be an issue again. One mention of her, and we're finished for good. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Harry reached across the table and grasped Ginny's hands in his. "I promise, I won't let The Dark Lady interfere in our lives again. From now on, it's as if she doesn't exist."

Ginny smiled happily at Harry and she let him pull her up out of her seat and into his arms. For the first time in months the couple embraced and they stayed in each other's arms for several minutes. Eventually they separated and Ginny mentioned heading to The Burrow.

"Maybe I should wait for a while before going to The Burrow." Harry suggested. Considering how he'd left, he fully expected a few of Ginny's brothers to be less than happy with him.

"If you're back for good you can't avoid my family forever." Ginny told him. "It'll be better to go today and get it over with."

"Do your family hate me now?" Harry asked.

"No, they don't hate you. Granted, a few of them weren't happy with the way you left, but they don't hate you." Ginny reassured Harry, squeezing his hand. "They'll be fine once they realise you're back for good, and aren't going anywhere."

Ginny just hoped she was right and her family did welcome Harry back into the fold. Arthur had been too distraught over losing Molly to really react to Harry's departure, but all her brothers had been furious with his actions. Charlie in particular was unimpressed with Harry's behaviour, and he'd told Ginny several times that she was better off without him in her life.

Plucking up the courage to face Ginny's family, the couple headed into the front room and flooed to The Burrow. Ginny went first, and just when she thought Harry had chickened out of facing her family, he stepped from the flames behind her. The noise in the front room of The Burrow immediately stopped as everyone turned to look at Harry in surprise.

Harry looked around the room, unsure of how to greet people. All of Ginny's brothers were present and none of them looked happy to see him. Arthur looked surprised, but not particularly welcoming, and Fleur looked uninterested in his arrival. Also present were Tonks and Lupin, and in Harry's opinion they were looking the friendliest. Both of them were smiling at him and they genuinely looked pleased to see him.

"Do we get an explanation?" Bill asked, breaking the silence that had fallen when Harry arrived.

"I'm sorry for leaving." Harry said quietly. "I needed time to get myself sorted out."

"And have you?" Charlie questioned. "Or are you back to cause more trouble, and to break our little sister's heart again?"

"I'm not going to cause trouble." Harry vowed. "I'm forgetting all about The Dark Lady. She can do whatever she likes, I don't care. And as for Ginny, I'm not leaving her again. I'm always going to be here for her."

"That's a relief." Arthur smiled. "Welcome back home, Harry."

At Harry's response to Charlie's question, the tension in the room started to subside. Harry could tell Charlie still wasn't happy, but everyone else seemed happy to see him. The only other person that didn't give him a warm welcome was Percy, but Harry wasn't totally surprised by that as the problems with Percy stemmed back to when he'd accepted a job with Lucius Malfoy.

"I'll be getting back to lunch." Fleur announced as she turned to head back into the kitchen. "I think it'll be nearly ready."

"I'll help." Tonks offered.

When Tonks stood up, Harry gaped at the witch. It wasn't evident when she was sitting down, but she had a visible baby bump.

"She's nearly five months along." Lupin told Harry as he spotted him watching Tonks in amazement.

"Wow, congratulations." Harry smiled at the older wizard.

"They're also getting married." Ginny supplied with a smile.

"It seems I've missed a lot." Harry sighed.

"Don't worry, we can catch you up on all of the gossip over lunch." Ginny told her boyfriend as everyone began making their way into the kitchen so they could eat.


	42. Back to Work

After spending three weeks relaxing in the sun on honeymoon, Hermione was both reluctant to return to normal, and eager to get back to work. While she would love to spend more time with Draco, she was also itching to get into work and check everything was okay. Three weeks was the longest she'd ever been away from the office, especially without any sort of contact whatsoever.

In the end it was a happy, relaxed Hermione that showed up at the office the Monday after returning from honeymoon. Lavender was already at her desk when Hermione arrived, and she greeted her boss with a warm smile.

"How was your honeymoon?" Lavender asked.

"Brilliant." Hermione smiled. "Why don't you grab us some coffees, and you can fill me in on what's been happening here."

Lavender headed off to grab the drinks, while Hermione entered her office and got settled in. After hanging up her jacket and putting her bag behind the desk, Hermione headed over to the chairs in the corner of the room and sat down in one. When Lavender returned with the coffees, she also settled down in one of the comfy chairs.

"I take it we've had no disasters." Hermione said, sipping on her coffee. She'd left Lavender instructions to get in touch with Lucius if there was a major problem as Draco's father knew where the couple had been honeymooning.

"Everything has been running smoothly." Lavender replied. "The school and the magical creature's sanctuary are fine, I'm currently organising the next charity night for the squib charity, and a few of your school buildings had been finished."

"Has Greg been to check the school's out?" Hermione checked.

"Yeah." Lavender nodded. "I've got his reports on my desk. Two were fine, but on one he had to reorder some work to be done."

Hermione nodded, trusting that Greg knew what he was doing. If he'd wanted work redoing, then it needed redoing. "How's the museum?" She asked.

"The main structural work is complete." Lavender replied. "It still needs bits and pieces sorting, but on a whole it's finished."

"Excellent." Hermione grinned. "Do I have some time to go and see it this morning?"

"I've scheduled you visits to all the businesses." Lavender told her boss. "I knew you'd want to check up on things, so you've got no other appointments today."

"Thank you Lavender, I don't know what I would do without you." Hermione smiled at her P.A. Hiring Lavender had definitely been one of the best things she'd done, not only was she a great employee, but she'd always turned out to be a pretty good friend.

"I'm sure you'd manage." Lavender replied modestly.

After leaving Hermione a rough schedule for her day, Lavender returned to her desk. Hermione had asked if she wanted to accompany her on her tour, but Lavender declined the offer. She still had some details to sort for the charity evening, and she didn't have time to leave the office. Pleased she had such a conscientious worker, Hermione left the office with a smile on her face.

Hermione's first trip was to the shopping centre. Out of all her businesses the shopping centre needed her attention the least, and on a whole she left Lavender to deal with any problems that might crop up. However at the minute everything was fine at the shopping centre, and as usual business was booming.

After leaving the shopping centre, Hermione headed to the museum where Greg was expecting her. For the rest of the morning, Hermione and Greg wandered around the museum and library discussing what still needed to be done. Lavender had been right, and building wise the place had been finished, it was now just finishing touches.

Even with the finishing touches, Hermione knew the place wouldn't be ready to open for several more months. While she'd made a start on the library, and secured deals for a few exhibits, a lot more work needed to go into making the place as top class as she wanted it to be. What Hermione really needed was for someone with as much passion as her for history to run the place, and she had just the person in mind. She'd developed her love of history and literature from her mother, and she knew Kathleen would be the perfect person to run the museum and library. However, Hermione didn't know if her mother would want such a demanding job which would mean she wasn't at home as much. All she could do was ask, and see what her mother said.

After leaving the museum, Hermione grabbed a quick bite to eat before she was off again. As usual her squib charity was doing great, and there was even talk of expanding the work. Hermione made a mental note to ask Lavender to send Greg to talk to Daniel. If it was possible they could extend their current building, but if that was going to prove to be too costly and complicated they could move the charity to larger premises.

When Hermione got to the school, she briefly stopped and watched a flying lesson that was taking place. Madam Hooch really was great with the younger kids, and Hermione couldn't help but think that if she'd had a teacher like that when she was younger then maybe flying wouldn't be an issue for her. As it was when she was growing up, she really had no-one to teach her how to fly. Her father could fly, but with his lack of magic and strength, it hadn't been feasible for him to teach her, while Kathleen detested flying and refused to get on a broom.

Leaving the flying lesson behind, Hermione headed into the school to check everything was okay. When Narcissa wasn't in her office, Hermione checked with the secretary to see which class she was in. Even though she was Headmistress, her mother-in-law often taught a few lessons a week. Hermione found Narcissa in a class of six year olds, doing Basic English with them. Narcissa's passion was very much in developing the children's reading and writing skills. As she so rightly pointed out, if the children can't read and write then they would struggle with every other subject.

"How are things going?" Hermione asked Narcissa as the older witch made her way over to her.

"Excellent." Narcissa smiled. "The children are coming on so well. Even those who've had no formal education up until now are thriving."

"Good." Hermione nodded, pleased the school was a success.

After chatting with Narcissa for a while longer, Hermione finally left the school and headed to the magical creatures sanctuary. When she arrived there was a class from Hogwarts making use of the classroom, and one of the sanctuary workers was in with them helping with the lesson. After checking it wasn't Charlie in the classroom, Hermione found out where her partner was and headed off to speak to the redheaded wizard that ran the place.

Hermione found Charlie in one of the enclosures dedicated to animals that had come to them with injuries. As well as housing fit and healthy animals, they also nursed sick and injured animals. Some were then released back into the wild, while others were moved into a more permanent home in the sanctuary.

"Hey Charlie." Hermione stopped at the gate of the enclosure and spoke to Charlie quietly. She had no idea what sort of animal he was in with, and she didn't want to speak too loud and startle the poor thing.

"Hey." Charlie turned his head and smiled at Hermione. "You can come in, if you're quiet."

"What's in there with you?" Hermione asked cautiously. Before she got into an enclosure with an animal, she wanted to know what she was dealing with.

"A pregnant unicorn." Charlie answered. "I've been treating a wound to one of her back legs, so she's been sedated. She is on the verge of waking up, but she won't hurt you."

Cautiously Hermione entered the enclosure and made her way over to where Charlie was kneeling beside the unicorn. Crouching down, Hermione gently ran her hand down the unicorn's mane.

"She's lovely." Hermione whispered.

"She is." Charlie agreed. "It's just a shame poachers try and catch unicorns. She was caught in a trap, but luckily a passing witch found her and sent for us. If the poacher had found her first, she would be dead now and her horn sold on for a quick profit."

Hermione shook her head sadly as she wondered if there was anything Lucius could do about the situation as Minister for Magic. Poaching was already illegal, but maybe they needed tougher regulations in place. She would have to add it to her list of things she needed to remember from her visits.

"So, what brings you here?" Charlie asked as they left the unicorn to wake up in peace and exited the enclosure. However they remained just outside the enclosure as Charlie wanted to be sure the unicorn woke with no problems.

"Just checking things are okay." Hermione replied. "Are they? You don't seem your usual bubbly self."

"Everything with the sanctuary is fine." Charlie answered.

"So what's bothering you?" Hermione questioned. As she turned to look at the redhead, she suddenly though she might be pushing their friendship and maybe he didn't want to confide in her. "Not that you have to tell me, I don't want to pry."

"It's fine, you're not prying." Charlie said. "Harry's back."

"I thought he'd gone for good." Hermione said, trying not to get too panicked about the return of her former friend. She'd been enjoying the peace without him stirring things, and she really didn't think she could be bothered with him causing trouble again.

"So did I." Charlie muttered. "But apparently he's back, and everything's back to normal. Ginny's just forgiven him, and welcomed him back with open arms."

"It's Ginny you're worried about." Hermione stated, recognising the concern in Charlie's voice when he spoke about his sister.

"Yeah." Charlie sighed deeply and ran his hand through his hair. "I just think she's setting herself up for heartbreak. If he could leave once without looking back, he'll do it again."

"Maybe it's different this time." Hermione suggested.

"Maybe, but I doubt it." Charlie said. "Although I'm guessing how long he sticks around depends on how long his change of heart regarding you lasts."

"Me? What do I have to do with anything?" Hermione frowned.

"Ginny's only giving him another chance, because he claims to have dropped his vendetta against The Dark Lady." Charlie explained.

"But you don't believe him." Hermione said.

"He hates you, Hermione, and I don't think he's willing to let go of that hate." Charlie told the witch standing beside him. "I think he's going to try, but I think it will become too hard and he'll not be able to leave you alone."

"Maybe I should have just told him who I was years ago." Hermione said, watching as the unicorn began to stir.

"Then you wouldn't be standing here, you'd likely be dead." Charlie retorted, also watching the unicorn as it began to return to consciousness. "All your reasons for keeping quiet are solid. You know as well as I do that Harry never would have accepted who you truly are. No matter when you'd told him, the result would have been the same. If anything he might just have hated you even more."

Hermione nodded, agreeing with Charlie's point. She'd done the right thing in keeping her identity hidden from Harry. It wasn't her fault he couldn't let go. Since leaving school she'd done absolutely nothing to antagonise him, yet he hadn't just been able to move on. Harry could have had a great life with Ginny, yet he'd chose to concentrate on her and he was now in danger of losing the witch he claimed to love so much.

Hermione waited until the unicorn was up and moving, before she left Charlie and headed home. By the time she'd had a showered, gotten changed and removed her glamour charms, Draco was arriving home from work. While Draco showered and changed, Hermione called an elf from the Manor and asked her to prepare some dinner. Usually she made dinner herself, with the help of a lot of magic, but today she didn't feel like cooking.

Over dinner Hermione told Draco about Harry's return. Draco immediately picked up on Hermione's unease over his return, and reassured her everything would be okay.

"If Charlie's right, then we shouldn't have any problems from him for a while." Draco told his wife. "And now we know he's back, we can be prepared. If he does turn on you again, we'll be ready and waiting for him."

"We will." Hermione agreed. "And this time there'll be no messing around. If he's going to cause trouble, then he's going to be eliminated."

For the first time, Draco genuinely believed that Hermione would snuff out Potter's life. While she'd made threats against him before, he knew they were empty threats and she wouldn't follow through, but this time she was deadly serious. If Potter crossed her again, he wouldn't survive.


	43. Quidditch World Cup

**A/N – I'm surprised I still have to point this out at this late stage of the story, but this is a DARK HERMIONE story. I don't expect everyone to like every single story I write, but it is annoying to get reviews bemoaning the fact that Hermione and the dark are winning. What do you expect, it's a dark story and the main characters are dark.**

**I clearly label my dark stories as I know not everyone likes dark stories, therefore I've never misled anyone with what this story will be like. No-one has been forced to read this story, or any other story. It's quite simple really, if you don't like it you don't have to read it. To be honest I'm genuinely surprised that people who don't like Dark Hermione and don't want the dark side to win are reading this story.**

**Anyway, for those who do like Dark Hermione stories I hope you enjoy the end of this one, and the future ones I plan on posting when I finish writing them.**

* * *

As she got dressed, Hermione's mind was busy running over business plans. She was actually getting dressed so she and Draco could accompany Lucius and Narcissa to the opening game of the Quidditch World Cup. Since it was being held in Britain, Lucius was expected to be there and officially open the event, and as his family Narcissa, Draco and Hermione had been invited. While Hermione wasn't particularly fussed about Quidditch, she knew there would be a few overseas officials at the event and it could be a good place to build stronger relations with foreign wizards.

The main project whirling around in Hermione's head was the museum and library. Hermione had asked her mother about running the museum, but Kathleen had initially been wary of accepting the offer. Luckily Voldemort was present at the time and he allayed any worries Kathleen had at leaving him to go off and work. As Voldemort pointed out, he wasn't totally incapacitated, he just had no magic. There were always elves knocking around the house and one of them could go to Kathleen if there was any problems. With her husband's support and encouragement, Kathleen agreed to run the museum, although she made it clear to Hermione that she expected a good support staff and that Voldemort came first if she ever had to choose between her husband and the museum. Hermione had been more than happy to agree to her mother's terms, leading to her mother getting involved with the museum straight away.

Hermione mulled over the great work her mother was doing at the museum, before returning her attention back to getting ready. She was already dressed in a pair of skin-tight black trousers and a one shouldered emerald green top, and now it was time to apply her glamour charms. After changing her eyes to blue and transforming her brunette curls into black ones, Hermione clipped her hair back from her face, but left it hanging loose down her back. She then applied her usual dramatic make-up, and was just going to spritz on her perfume when she froze.

As she held the bottle of expensive scent, that her father still gave her every birthday and Christmas, Hermione was struck with a memory of Harry recognising her because of her perfume. Hermione wasn't sure if she would see Harry that evening, but it was a possibility. Ginny had been selected to play for England and from what Lucius had said the team's families would be in the Minister's box for the opening game of the tournament. Not wanting to risk exposure, Hermione looked at her other bottles of perfume on her dressing table. She also didn't want a perfume that might remind Harry of the one she normally used to wear back in school, what she wanted was a totally different scent. Spotting a bottle that contained a more fruity scent, Hermione sprayed herself with the perfume.

Hermione had just placed the bottle back in its place and was choosing some jewellery to wear, when Draco emerged from the bathroom. Through the mirror, Hermione watched her husband as he pulled on his trousers without bothering with underwear. When he was putting his shirt on, he spotted Hermione watching him and once he was finished buttoning the shirt, he walked over to his wife. Bending down, Draco gave Hermione a peck on the cheek before nuzzling against her neck.

"You smell different." Draco remarked. Her signature scent was usually reserved for special occasions, and he'd fully expected to inhale the familiar scent.

"I'm wearing a different perfume." Hermione explained. "I bought in a few weeks ago, but I've never worn it before."

"Then why are you wearing it now?" Draco asked.

"I don't want to risk Harry recognising me because of my perfume." Hermione told her husband as she found the silver hoop earrings she was looking for.

"Do you really think he could do that again?" Draco questioned. "It's been years since he smelt the perfume."

"It was over a year in between him smelling it initially and recognising it the other time." Hermione retorted. "I once read somewhere that smell is a good way of regaining a memory. A smell can transport you back to even a long forgotten childhood memory. I'm not taking that risk with Harry."

"He might not even be there tonight." Draco pointed out as he watched Hermione slip a long line silver heart necklace around her neck.

"Better safe than sorry." Hermione shrugged as she stood up. "Now let's forget about Harry, and get going. The sooner we leave the sooner we can get back."

"Firstly, you're not wearing shoes." Draco pointed out, laughing as Hermione looked down at her bare feet and shook her head. "And secondly, it's doesn't work like that. We have to stay to the end of the match, and that won't change depending on when we get there."

"Bloody Quidditch." Hermione grumbled as she pulled a pair of black boots from the wardrobe and slipped them on.

"I'm sure I can keep you entertained." Draco grinned, wrapping his arms around Hermione and pulling her as close as she could get.

"Maybe I should have worn a skirt." Hermione muttered as Draco squeezed her bum through her tight trousers.

"I like your outfit, it's very sexy." Draco said, releasing Hermione from his arms and admiring her curves. "I especially like the boots. Maybe when we get back you can leave the boots on when you undress."

"I'm sure I can, if you're a good boy." Hermione smirked.

"I'd much rather be a bad one." Draco retorted with a wink.

Hermione laughed in response as the pair left the bedroom and began getting ready to floo to the Manor. Once at the Manor the pair were greeted by Draco's parents before Lucius hurried them off to the Ministry so they could catch their port key to the Quidditch stadium. The port key took them directly to the stadium hosting the match, and Lucius led the way to the large Minister's box.

"Why exactly are we hosting the World Cup again?" Hermione asked Lucius as they made their way to the box. "We only hosted it a few years ago."

"The last one was fraught with security problems." Lucius explained. "At one point dozens of muggles saw a stadium and a whole team of wizards had to be sent in to clean up the mess. Our security regarding muggles is one of the tightest in the world, so we were an obvious choice as hosts."

Arriving at the Minister's box, Lucius introduced his family to the few people that were already present. As more and more people arrived, Lucius made sure to introduce Hermione to anyone he thought might be useful for her to know. Even though England were playing Australia in the opening match, there was officials from every country that would be taking part in the tournament. A couple of the officials Hermione had already met on her travels, and a few people mentioned colleagues that had met The Dark Lady, but there was also officials from a few countries that Hermione hadn't yet had any dealings with.

Hermione was so caught up in talking to all the foreign officials that she failed to notice the families of the England team arriving in the box. It was only when she heard Lucius greet Arthur that she looked up. It was rather an odd sight to see Lucius greet Arthur like an old friend, but she had to hand it to Lucius for his acting skills, unless you knew him you wouldn't have any idea that he still greatly disliked Arthur. Alongside Arthur was Harry, and Lucius didn't even bother to hide his disdain for the younger wizard. He merely nodded his head in Harry's direction, before turning to greet another couple of guests.

"Bloody hell, he's coming over." Draco muttered to Hermione as the couple spotted Harry making a beeline for them. "What do we do?"

"See what he wants." Hermione replied.

"Malfoy." Harry stiffly nodded in Draco's direction before turning to face Hermione. "Mrs Malfoy."

"Mr Potter. What can we do for you?" Hermione asked.

"I want to let you know it's over." Harry responded.

"What's over?" Draco questioned, tightening his grip on Hermione's waist.

"The vendetta I've been running against you." Harry replied, addressing Hermione and ignoring Draco. "I'm done. You can do what you like, I don't care anymore."

"I was never sure why you cared anyway." Hermione said. "What I get up to has nothing to do with you."

Fury briefly flashed in Harry's green eyes, before he controlled himself. "You're right, it doesn't." He admitted, although it sounded forced to both Hermione and Draco. "I just wanted to let you know I won't be causing any more trouble."

Before either Hermione or Draco could respond, Harry turned and walked away from the couple.

"What do you think?" Draco asked as he led Hermione over to their seats near the front of the box. "Was he genuine?"

"I don't know." Hermione replied thoughtfully. "Charlie said he told Ginny he was going to leave me alone, but Charlie also reckoned that he would struggle to let go of his hate. I think he may mean what he said, but I wouldn't bank on him keeping to it."

"So in other words, we're still on alert." Draco summarised.

Hermione nodded as she snuggled closer to Draco, who wrapped his arms around her shoulders and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "But he's not going to try anything here, so let's relax and enjoy the game."

**[][][][][]**

Harry was desperately trying to enjoy the match, specifically Ginny's stunning performance, but it was so very hard when The Dark Lady was only sitting metres away. Despite trying to concentrate on the match, Harry's attention kept wandering over to the raven haired witch and her blond husband. The couple didn't really look to be paying that much attention to the match, they were far too caught up in one another. Despite his hatred for the dark pair, he had to admit they looked very much in love.

Harry's attention remained split between the match and the couple for nearly an hour. When the Australian keeper suffered a blow to the head, and an injury time out was called, Harry used the opportunity to slip off to the bathroom. He was determined to stop focusing on The Dark Lady, and concentrate on the rest of the match. No doubt Ginny would want to talk about the match in great detail, and at the minute he would struggle to keep up with the conversation.

Determined to forget about The Dark Lady for the rest of the evening, Harry returned to the Minister's box, where he found the match was back underway. To get back to his seat, Harry had to pass behind The Dark Lady and her husband, and when he did so he grimaced as he spotted her hand in Draco's lap, teasing a very obvious bulge in his trousers. Just as he'd passed the couple, he froze at the sound of a familiar laugh coming from behind him. Turning his head he found The Dark Lady chuckling at something. The laugh was exactly the same one that had been floating around in his head since he'd seen their wedding pictures, the only problem was remembering where he had heard the laugh before.

With The Dark Lady's laugh echoing in his head, Harry returned to his seat. Still focusing on The Dark Lady and her laugh, Harry turned his eyes towards the match. As he mindlessly watched Ginny and her teammates flying about the pitch, a memory started to tug at his subconscious. Instead of focusing on the memory, Harry continued to watch the match. As he did so he began to hear The Dark Lady laugh again in his head, only this time he knew it was an old memory of the laugh.

Slowly bits and pieces of the memory began to form in his head. Harry could now very clearly visualise Hogwarts, specifically The Black Lake in warm sunshine. As the memory continued to form, Harry could hear his own voice alongside Ron and Hermione's. The trio were just lounging beside the lake one warm afternoon, although Harry couldn't distinguish which year the memory took place in. To be honest it could be any time when the three friends had just spent a few hours hanging out just the three of them. As the conversation between the three flowed, Harry suddenly heard the laugh again, but this time he knew who it came from.

Harry shook his head in disbelief as the memory continued to play out in his head. He could now very clearly see Hermione laughing at something he or Ron had said, and her laugh was the same as The Dark Lady's. Refusing to believe what his mind was telling him, Harry tore himself out of his memories and focused back on The Dark Lady. She now had her head resting on Draco's shoulder, and all he could see of her was her long black curls. Harry was rather taken by surprise at the revelation that The Dark Lady had curly hair, he'd never realised before as she wore it differently all the time.

After a few minutes of watching The Dark Lady, Harry mentally scolded himself as he turned his attention back to the match. Now he was just being ridiculous in his suspicions. It was pure coincidence that The Dark Lady had curly hair, loads of people had curly hair, not just Hermione. And as for the laugh, he'd just made that up. He'd been so focused on The Dark Lady's laugh that he'd just placed it in a completely innocent memory of his friends.

For the rest of the match, Harry continued to tell himself he was being stupid. There was no way Hermione was The Dark Lady, it was just ridiculous, or was it? Maybe his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, maybe it was giving him the answers he longed for.


	44. Looking Back

**A/N – This chapter is mainly Harry's thoughts about The Dark Lady, so the only words spoken are when Harry speaks out loud to himself. I'm sure there's a lot more I could have included in this chapter as Harry's thinking, but I didn't want to spend an eternity rehashing the first two stories.**

* * *

It was several hours after the quidditch match that thoughts of The Dark Lady entered Harry's head again. Directly after the match, he'd headed off with Arthur to catch up with the rest of the family. All the Weasley's had been present to watch Ginny's debut, but she'd only had two tickets for the Minister's box. Ginny had soon turned up, fresh from playing her part in England's triumphant win, and the celebrations began.

For a while Harry was able to hide the fact he hadn't really been watching the match as Ginny's brothers were more than happy to assess the game minute by minute. It was only when Harry and Ginny returned to the flat, that Ginny caught onto the fact that Harry hadn't been watching that closely. Luckily Harry was able to smooth things over with his girlfriend by claiming he was just distracted by watching her fly.

Playing up how sexy he found Ginny riding a broom, Harry soon made his girlfriend forget about the lack of attention he'd paid to the actual match as they tumbled into bed. Afterwards Ginny drifted off to sleep quickly, while Harry found himself lying in bed staring into the darkness. That was when thoughts of The Dark Lady crept back into his mind, alongside thoughts and images of Hermione.

Knowing he wasn't going to get any sleep, Harry carefully climbed out of bed and pulled on some pyjamas. Heading to the kitchen, he made himself a mug of hot chocolate before taking the steaming beverage and settling down in the front room. Once settled on the sofa, he let his mind wander and he finally addressed the issues that had been bugging him for hours. Could Hermione be The Dark Lady?

Of course the whole idea was ludicrous. Firstly Hermione was a muggleborn, therefore she couldn't possibly be the daughter of Lord Voldemort. Not to mention she'd been driven from the wizarding world by all these new laws Lucius Malfoy had put in place. Shaking his head, Harry tried to get rid of the idea. Wherever Hermione was and whatever she was up to, she wasn't The Dark Lady.

"But where is she?" Harry muttered to himself as his forehead creased into a frown.

Hermione had after all just disappeared from their lives. There'd been no letters saying goodbye, or any since saying where she was and how she was doing. If she really was just living in another country, then why hadn't they heard from her? Harry's frown deepened as he realised that Hermione had vanished from the wizarding world just as The Dark Lady began to make her presence known. Of course it could have been a coincidence, but maybe it was something more sinister.

As he thought about the fact Hermione had disappeared, Harry got to thinking about the reason why she'd left, the muggleborn registration. Harry would freely admit he didn't totally understand the programme, but then again since he wasn't a muggleborn he'd never had to examine it and decide if it was worth signing up to. However, it kept being pointed out that Hermione would have been an asset to the programme. Not only had Lucius told him and Ron that, but Percy had made the point several times. According to Percy if Hermione had signed up her life wouldn't have been that different from anyone else's, the only real difference was that her contribution to society would have been more closely monitored to ensure she was giving back to the wizarding world. Percy had also made it clear that she could have done almost anything, since her exams results were top class.

With all that in mind, Harry had to wonder why Hermione left. Why didn't she sign up for the programme and prove to people that muggleborns could be an asset to the wizarding world? Instead she'd walked away, and handed Lucius extra ammunition to fire against other muggleborns. Why on earth didn't she fight for her right to be a witch and practice magic in the country of her birth? The Hermione Harry thought he'd known was a fighter, it made no sense that she would sit back and do nothing as muggleborns were victimised and driven out of the world.

But looking back on things, Harry could see that was exactly what Hermione had done. She hadn't once fought against the rules, she'd merely accepted them as though she couldn't care less. As he continued to think back, Harry remembered Hermione's lack of concern when Lucius was first mentioned as a consideration as Minister. Surely as a muggleborn she should have been worried about a prominent pureblood who hated her kind gaining any sort of power within the Ministry, let alone running the place. But once again, she'd just shrugged the whole thing off and wasn't in the slightest bit concerned.

"There has to be a reasonable explanation." Harry whispered as he shook his head. The more he was thinking about past events, the more he was finding fault with Hermione's actions.

However, despite her dubious actions regarding her exit, Harry couldn't see how she could be Voldemort's daughter. She was a muggleborn, and he'd even met her muggle parents. But then again, he didn't even know where she lived until after she'd left. Finishing his hot chocolate, Harry tried to think about what he knew about Hermione's parents and her home life. He knew both her parents were dentists, and while she'd rarely spoken about her family it was clear that she was a daddy's girl. Her love for her father came through whenever she mentioned him. But as he really thought about it, Harry realised even that didn't quite make sense. He'd only met Hermione's parents a few times, as she usually claimed they were busy when they met up over the summer, but both her parents had seemed pretty distant towards Hermione. He'd never witnessed any of this closeness he assumed was present by the way she spoke about him, it was almost as if the man he knew to be her father was a stranger.

"Shit." Harry swore as he realised there was a strong possibility that Mr Granger was a stranger acting the part of Hermione's father. The father she'd always spoken so lovingly about could possibly be Voldemort.

Finally allowing for the possibility Hermione had been playing them from the very beginning, Harry took a moment to gather his thoughts. He'd already made one mistake in believing Narcissa was The Dark Lady, and he wasn't going to repeat it. Before he let himself believe that Hermione had betrayed them all, he needed to be sure. He needed to think back over the years he'd known her, and see if the theory that she was The Dark Lady worked. A few instances of strange behaviour, wasn't enough to condemn her.

Firstly he had to consider why she was posing as a muggleborn if she was in fact Voldemort's daughter. It certainly wasn't to get near to him, because they didn't become friends until the troll incident in first year. No matter who Hermione truly was, or what her motives might have been, Harry knew there was no way she could have predicted what was going to happen there. It was Quirrell who'd let the troll into the castle, and even if for some mad reason Hermione had deliberately put herself in danger she had no way of knowing he and Ron would come to her rescue. Harry firmly believed that the troll incident had been genuine, Hermione hadn't manipulated that in any way. That wasn't to say she hadn't manipulated things after that though.

Harry mentally ran through the rest of first year, but he failed to find anything that could be deemed suspicious. Hermione had been instrumental in helping him retrieve the Philosopher's Stone, and in all honesty if it hadn't been for her he probably wouldn't have survived his first year at Hogwarts.

Moving onto second year, again Harry found nothing amiss. It had been Lucius that had slipped the diary to Ginny, and Hermione had even been a victim of the basilisk. Even if you argued that she'd deliberately gotten herself petrified, Harry couldn't see how that would benefit her. It wasn't as if she knew Harry and Ron were heading down into the chamber and was trying to ensure they didn't have her help.

Third and fourth year were no different and Harry could think of numerous occasions where she'd been a real help. Without Hermione and her time turner, Sirius would have been given the Dementors kiss in third year, and in fourth year she'd been a real friend when Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire. Harry couldn't even remember her acting suspiciously at the end of fourth year when he revealed that Voldemort was back.

With a shake of his head, Harry picked up his empty mug and headed into the kitchen. As he washed the mug, Harry decided he'd just made a mistake. Hermione wasn't The Dark Lady, the whole idea was just ridiculous and he was slightly embarrassed that he'd spent a good half hour scrutinising his friend's actions. Hermione was just a normal muggleborn witch, and the more he thought about it the more her actions towards the end of seventh year could be explained. Maybe Hermione didn't make a fuss because she'd always planned on leaving with her parents, and the new laws just gave her the perfect excuse. Maybe that was why she never mentioned her parents were moving earlier, she would have known that he and Ron wouldn't have been happy about her leaving and it would have caused bad feeling between them. If she had always been planning on leaving that would explain her attitude towards the new laws and why she didn't fight to remain in Wizarding Britain.

Leaving the kitchen, Harry made sure all the lights were off before he headed to the bedroom. He'd just placed his hand on the bedroom door, when a thought suddenly struck him. He'd thought about Hermione's behaviour before Voldemort was back, but what about how she acted since then. Voldemort had died at the end of their fifth year, and according to everything they knew from Bellatrix, The Dark Lady had taken over that summer. Which meant if Hermione was The Dark Lady, she'd been running the Death Eaters in their final two years of school.

Deciding not to go back to bed, Harry returned to the front room and settled back down on the sofa. The thought of Bellatrix had made him wonder about the witch. After she visited Lupin to tell him of The Dark Lady's identity she hadn't been seen or heard from since. She certainly hadn't integrated herself into the wizarding world like some of the other Death Eaters, so if she was still around she was keeping a very low profile. But was she still around? Something told Harry she wasn't. Hermione had been at the meeting where Lupin told everyone about her visit, and if she was The Dark Lady, Harry doubted she would have just let Bellatrix off with a warning.

Along with Bellatrix's disappearance, there was also the theory about Narcissa to consider. Again Hermione knew about the Order's theory, and he could remember one time when their theory had looked extremely viable. After the skirmish with The Dark Lady near the end of seventh year, Narcissa had shown up at St Mungo's with a burn. That had banished any lingering doubts within the Order, and from that moment everyone had truly believed Narcissa was The Dark Lady, until it was proven otherwise. With retrospect, Harry could see the Order had been played for fools, but for that to have happened they had to have known about the Order's theory.

Again Harry's musings were suspicious, but again a logical mind could dismiss his concerns. It was a well-known fact that Snape had been spying for the dark all along, and it could very well have been him that told The Dark Lady about Bellatrix and their theory regarding Narcissa. Despite finding logical solutions to his questions, Harry was determined to keep going until he was sure either way. He wanted to be able to either dismiss the whole idea as ludicrous, or he wanted enough doubt about Hermione to warrant further digging.

Returning his mind to his original plan, he started to think back over fifth year. Again, Hermione's behaviour seemed normal and not at all suspicious. She'd helped set up the D.A. and she was just as upset as everyone else when it had ended. Plus she'd been punished along with everyone else when they were discovered.

"And who discovered us?" Harry muttered to himself. "Bloody Malfoy, who's now married to her."

Even now Harry still didn't know how Draco had discovered where they were meeting. While the blond Slytherin had been more than happy to take credit for leading Umbridge to them, he'd been reluctant to explain how he'd been able to do it. As far as Harry knew he'd never revealed what happened that day. If Hermione was The Dark Lady it made perfect sense that she'd been the one to tip off her boyfriend, and obviously Draco never could have admitted that his lead came from Hermione.

Again, Harry knew that anyone within the D.A could have tipped off Draco, but coincidences against Hermione were starting to stack up. First there was the Order and what they knew and their theories, then there was the D.A. and being caught in the act, and finally there was the showdown at the Ministry with Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Was it just a coincidence that Lucius grabbed Hermione? And what about the fact she claimed not to remember anything and couldn't identify him, was that genuine or was she covering for the blond wizard? If Hermione had backed him and Ron up then maybe something would have been done about Lucius, but instead she'd claimed ignorance and was no help whatsoever. Of course what she said about her memory could have been true, but Harry was beginning to believe otherwise.

With his suspicions fully aroused, Harry began to look at Dumbledore's death in a different light. His two prime suspects both had solid alibis for the time Dumbledore was killed, but Hermione didn't. She'd returned from the library just as Harry was heading off to see Dumbledore. At the time Harry hadn't questioned it, but then again he never did question it when Hermione spent time at the library. Something which she did quite a lot now he came to think about it. How did he knew that's where she'd always been? She could easily have been elsewhere in the school, like on the night Dumbledore was killed.

The main theory had been Death Eaters had somehow gotten into the school, but if what if their leader was already inside. Dumbledore would have had no reason to be suspicious of Hermione, and if she'd gone up to his office the headmaster would have just let her in. Even the fact that wands were tested by the Aurors needn't have been a problem. She could have easily snuck a second wand into school and kept it concealed in her trunk. Because of who she was she was above suspicion anyway, and no-one would had thought to check through her things.

By now Harry was convinced his initial gut feeling had been right, and the more he thought about it the more suspicious things he could come up with regarding Hermione. Her reaction to Marcus Flint's disappearance for one. At the time Harry had been too concerned with making sure no-one discovered he and Ron knew where he was being held, but looking back he could see Hermione's behaviour wasn't normal. She was far too worried about someone she supposedly didn't know.

Then there was all the fuss with Draco, when he was taken. Again, Hermione had been far too concerned over his disappearance. Although the more he thought about it the more Harry realised she'd been a mess pretty much all the time Draco was missing. She was snappish and short-tempered all the time, and she'd spent more time than usual away from Gryffindor Tower. Then there was the reaction once she discovered his and Ron's involvement. She was the one who insisted they had to inform the Order of their part in things, sure Ginny and Lavender had been unimpressed but they might not have forced them into confessing.

Draco's kidnapping inevitably stirred memories of Harry's own ordeal alongside Ron. Obviously he still had no memories of being snatched and what had happened while he was imprisoned, but he did know what had been happening elsewhere. He knew Hermione was at the Burrow quite a bit, therefore she was privy to what the Order were thinking. She knew they were putting off telling the Aurors of their disappearance, and she also knew when they were going to the Aurors if they weren't returned. Therefore it was very simple for her to ensure that they were dumped hours before the authorities were to become involved.

Harry wasn't liking where his thoughts were taking him at all, but he was determined to push on and deal with two events that had affected him deeply, the deaths of Sirius and Ron. He was now convinced that Hermione was The Dark Lady, but was she involved in the deaths of his godfather and best friend.

Obviously there was an official version of what had happened to Sirius, with Draco's friends claiming that one of them hit him with a brick in self-defence. But what if it wasn't self-defence, what if Hermione was with the boys. She knew all about the secret tunnel leading from school, and she might have been able to spot the false wall Sirius had installed. If Hermione was with the Slytherins, Sirius would have been able to work out the truth, therefore he would have to been killed to keep him quiet.

As for Ron, Harry had initially believed Ron's death to be the work of The Dark Lady, but in the months he'd been away he'd conceded it could have just been a tragic accident. However if Hermione had shown up at the Burrow, Ron would have let her in without question. He could have welcomed his killer with open arms, and Hermione could have faked the fire to throw suspicion off herself. Even though she had an alibi, Harry didn't trust the Malfoy's not to have bought one for her and Draco. A few hundred galleons would easily ensure a few people would claim to have seen the couple on the night of Ron's death.

Proof of Ron's murder would be hard to come by, then again proof of what he suspected wouldn't come easy either. Whether The Dark Lady was Hermione or not, she was clever and he was going to have to use all his wits to outsmart her. Harry would have loved to confide in someone about his theories, but he knew that wasn't possible. One mention of The Dark Lady to Ginny would result in him losing his girlfriend, and he was determined for that not to happen. What he needed was to find out once and for all who The Dark Lady truly was. Once he knew her true identity he could plot his next move, but for now Harry had to concentrate on unmasking The Dark Lady.

Getting up, he wandered off back to the bedroom. Climbing into bed beside a still slumbering Ginny, Harry drifted into a fitful sleep. His mind was working overtime to come up with a plan to get to the truth about The Dark Lady. By the time he awoke the next morning, a plan was forming in his head. It had already been proven that Draco was her weakness, and Harry planned on using her husband to bring The Dark Lady to her knees.


	45. Missing

In the weeks that followed the Quidditch World Cup, Draco was on his guard, constantly watching for any sign that Harry was about to go after Hermione again. However as the weeks passed it would appear the former Gryffindor had been telling the truth and he really was trying to move on with his life and forget about The Dark Lady. With nothing happening with Harry, Draco began to forget about him and within a few months he rarely gave his former school enemy a second thought.

Without Harry causing problems life continued on as normal, and while Hermione was busy growing her influence over the wizarding world, Draco was making plans to expand the Malfoy Empire. Since taking charge of the company, Draco had taken his time to familiarise himself with the current business before even contemplating expansion. However he was now perfectly settled at work and felt he was in enough control of the place to start venturing into new territory.

Draco was busy looking into new ventures one rainy Friday afternoon when an owl swopped in through the open owl window. Over the other side of his office, Draco kept a window open for owls coming and going, but it was charmed not to let the cold or bad weather inside. Draco looked up at the sound of the owl, expecting to see a bird he recognised but he found himself looking at an unidentifiable bird from the post office in Diagon Alley. Wondering who was writing to him using a post office bird, Draco pulled the note from around the bird's ankle and watched as it immediately took off and flew back out of the window.

With the bird's departure, Draco knew the letter didn't need an immediate reply. Tearing the letter open, he found a printed message from his father. The message asked him to meet him as soon as possible in the alley behind the shopping centre. Draco frowned at the lack of his father's normal neat penmanship, obviously he'd written the note in a hurry. Since there was no mention of what his father wanted, Draco was assuming it was Death Eater business.

Not wanting to leave his father waiting, Draco grabbed his jacket and shoved the note into his pocket. He then double checked he had no appointments for the next hour or two, before leaving his office. His secretary looked up in surprise when Draco exited the office with his jacket on, and Draco gave her a reassuring smile.

"Before you say anything, I know I have an appointment at two." Draco told his secretary. "I'm just popping out to see my father, I'll be back in plenty of time for the appointment."

Draco's secretary nodded, and returned to her work as Draco headed out of the office, made his way out of the building, and ducked into a nearby alley. From there he apparated straight to the alley behind Hermione's shopping centre. Looking from side to side he found no sign of his father, nor did he spot any potential problems his father could want his help dealing with.

"Hello." Draco called quietly. "Father?"

From behind him Draco heard a scuffling noise, but just as he was whirling round he was hit by something and a searing pain shot through his head. His last thought before he lost consciousness was not again. This had already happened to him once, and he didn't know if he would survive a second kidnapping ordeal.

**[][][][][]**

Hermione was deeply engrossed in reading the latest research from her charity, when the door to her office opened and Draco walked in. Hermione smiled at the sight of her husband, she wasn't expecting to see him today, but as always she was happy to see him.

"I didn't expect to see you until tonight." Hermione said, closing the file she was reading and smiling brightly at the man she loved.

"I thought we could have lunch together." Draco told his wife.

"Okay." Hermione nodded. "I'll just grab my bag. Do you have anywhere in mind, or do you just want to pop home?"

"I have somewhere in mind, but it's a surprise." Draco responded with a smirk.

"I'm entirely in your hands." Hermione grinned at her husband as she took hold of his hand and led him from the office. "I'll be back sometime after lunch." Hermione told Lavender as the couple passed her P.A.

"Have fun." Lavender chuckled at the couple as Hermione practically dragged Draco from the office.

Once outside of the office, Draco pulled Hermione into an alley and wrapped his arms tightly around her. As he did so, Hermione got a whiff of his aftershave and tried to pull away from him. Whoever had hold of her wasn't her husband, that wasn't the aftershave he wore.

"You're not getting away from me that easily." The Draco imposter snarled, tightening his grip on Hermione.

Because Hermione had thought she was with her husband, her wand was securely in her bag and the tight grip the imposter had her in made it impossible for her to reach into her bag and retrieve it. Struggling was also pretty futile as the imposter had a firm grip of her, and since he was impersonating Draco he was quite a bit stronger than her. To make matters worse he'd also managed to get his own wand out from his pocket and Hermione knew he intended to apparate them away.

"You won't get away with this." Hermione hissed at the imposter. The second she was able to fight back, the person who had their hands on her was in for a whole world of pain.

The imposter merely smirked as he swished his wand and the pair disappeared with a crack. However what he failed to notice was Hermione let go of her bag at the last minute and it went tumbling to the floor. She had protection spells on her bag to prevent people stealing from it, the only people who would be able to open it were the people she trusted the most and she was hoping that one of them found it and realised something was wrong.

Hermione was hoping that she could get the upper hand when they landed, but the second her feet touched solid ground the imposter unwrapped his arms from around her and gave her a hard shove, sending her crashing to the floor. Before she could even look up at her attacker she found herself immobilised, before a shooting pain to her head rendered her unconscious.

**[][][][][]**

It was the middle of the afternoon when Lucius's work was interrupted by a knock on the door. He briefly contemplated telling Percy to go away, but unfortunately as Minister he didn't have that luxury. He never knew when there might be an emergency and when he might be needed in a hurry.

"Come in." Lucius reluctantly called.

Percy poked his head around the door and offered Lucius an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but Draco's secretary is here to see you. She's claiming Draco went out this morning to see you and never returned. I've told her you've been in the office all day, but she's insisting on speaking with you."

"Send her in." Lucius told Percy, not liking the sinking feeling he was getting.

Draco's secretary arrived in Lucius's office moments after he'd told Percy to let her in. The young witch explained to Lucius that Draco had suddenly emerged from his office that morning and said he was going to meet Lucius. She also told Lucius of Draco's vow that he would be back long before his meeting, which she'd ended up cancelling when her boss hadn't arrived back at the office.

"Did you manage to smooth everything over with whoever Draco was meeting?" Lucius checked. While he was working out what was going on with Draco, he didn't need to be worrying about the business.

"Yes." The witch nodded. "I claimed Draco was unexpectedly taken ill. I promised to reschedule the meeting when he's better, and they were fine about it."

"Good." Lucius nodded. "For the time being stick with that as the official story. As far as anyone is concerned, Draco is at home ill."

"But where is he really?" Draco's secretary asked, her concern for her boss evident in her voice.

"I don't know, but I will find out." Lucius vowed. "I appreciate your loyalty, and I'll let you know when I find Draco."

"Thank you." The witch gave Lucius a smile, before leaving his office and making her way back to work.

After her departure Lucius sat for a couple of minutes, trying to get his head around what he knew. From the sounds if things it appeared that someone had lured Draco out of the office pretending to be him. Who had engineered the trap, and why, was a complete mystery, but before he tried to solve that mystery he needed to inform Hermione. She needed to know her husband was missing.

Leaving his office, Lucius quickly spoke to Percy. He informed his assistant that he was going out for the rest of the day, he also made sure Percy knew that not a word was to leave the office about Draco. As far as everyone else was concerned, nothing was wrong. Once Percy had reassured him everything was in safe hands and not a word out of turn would be uttered, Lucius headed down to the atrium and flooed to Hermione's offices.

"Mr Malfoy." Lavender smiled at the Minster as he entered the inner office she worked in.

"Hello, Lavender." Lucius nodded. "I need to speak to The Dark Lady, it's urgent."

"She's not in." Lavender replied. "She never came back from lunch."

"Have you tried to contact her?" Lucius demanded, his bad feeling growing worse by the second. "Weren't you worried when she didn't return from lunch?"

"No." Lavender shook her head. "I assumed her and Draco had gotten distracted and had decided to spend the afternoon together."

"She left with Draco?" Lucius questioned. "What time?" He asked when Lavender nodded her head.

"Just before lunch. About quarter past twelve, I think." Lavender replied.

That was about an hour after Draco had left his office. Lucius wanted to believe that it was his son who had come to pick Hermione up, but his gut was telling him otherwise. It sounded like someone had lured Draco away and used him to get to Hermione.

"Is something wrong?" Lavender asked.

"I think there is." Lucius replied. "Draco left his office this morning, claiming he was seeing me. I haven't seen him all day, nor had we arranged to meet."

"You think he was lured out of the office." Lavender stated.

Lucius nodded. "It's a strong possibility, but before we start worrying we need to ensure Draco and Hermione are missing. I'll go and check their penthouse, could you check around the building for any sign of where they may have went when they left here?"

"Of course." Lavender jumped up from her desk, eager to help. "Do you want me to call anyone like Blaise, Theo or Greg?"

"Not yet." Lucius replied. "Let's try and work out what we're dealing with before raising the alarm."

Lavender nodded, before rushing out of the office. Walking over to the door to Hermione's office, Lucius headed inside and had a quick poke around. The place looked normal and he couldn't find anything out of place. Heading to the fire he grabbed a handful of floo powder and headed off to his son's house.

As he expected the penthouse was empty, and a quick check of the wards revealed that no-one had been in the place since Draco and Hermione had left that morning. Finding no clues as to the pair's whereabouts at their penthouse, Lucius returned to Hermione's office. When he arrived back Lavender wasn't at her desk, so he paced the floor as he waited for Hermione's P.A to return. It was looking as though both Draco and Hermione had disappeared, and he was already running through ways of trying to locate them.

Lucius thoughts were interrupted by Lavender returning to the office. The second Lucius saw her serious expression he knew she'd found something, and whatever it was it wasn't good news.

"What is it?" Lucius asked.

"This." Lavender replied, holding up a black bag. "It's Hermione's."

Lucius grabbed the bag, opened it up and tipped its contents out onto Lavender's desk. Amid all the paraphernalia he expected to find in a witch's bag, was Hermione's wand. Wherever she was she didn't have her wand, and while her wandless magic was pretty good, she was in a lot more danger without her wand.

"Where did you find the bag?" Lucius asked Lavender as he scooped up the contents and returned them to the bag, all apart from the wand which he held onto for safe keeping.

"In the alley beside the office." Lavender answered. "It looked as though it had been accidentally dropped."

"Or deliberately left behind." Lucius mused.

Without the bag there could be an argument made that Hermione and Draco had just gone off together for a bit of peace and quiet, but with the bag it was clear something sinister had happened. Hermione wouldn't go anywhere without her wand, and the fact it was in her bag in an alley meant something had happened to her.

"What do we do now?" Lavender asked.

"If anyone asks, The Dark Lady has gone home ill." Lucius told Lavender. "I promise I will find her and Draco, and when I do whoever has them is a dead man."

Still clutching Hermione's bag, Lucius left Hermione's office and headed home. Not only did he have to work out what had happened to his son and daughter-in-law and find them, but he also had to go and see Voldemort and inform him that his daughter was missing.


	46. Friends Reunited

Lying on the hard wooden floor, Hermione slowly blinked open her eyes. Her head was pounding, she could feel her hands tied behind her back and there was something around her ankle. She could also hear the sound of someone breathing beside her, and as she sat up the person gasped.

"Are you okay?" Draco questioned his wife.

"Draco." Hermione looked up at her husband in shock. She knew it was the real him because he was also sitting with his hands tied behind his back and a shackle on his ankle, chaining him to the wall.

"Thank Merlin, you're okay." Draco breathed a huge sigh of relief as his wife shuffled herself into a seating position. "You've been out of it for ages, I was starting to get worried."

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"I got a note to go and meet father, but when I turned up there was no sign of him." Draco explained. "I heard someone behind me, and before I knew what had happened I was hit over the head. Next thing I know, I'm waking up back here."

At Draco's choice of words, Hermione looked around their prison and found she recognised it. They were in the Shrieking Shack. They were actually in the same room Draco had been held prisoner in the last time, but this time they were out in the open, not hidden in a secret room.

"Harry." Hermione gasped, understanding dawning on her. He had to have been the one who had them.

"Yeah, bloody Potter." Draco snarled. "He was standing over me when I came round. After giving me a few good kicks, he yanked a pile of my hair out and disappeared. When he came back he looked like me and he had you with him."

"I'm going to kill him." Hermione vowed.

"We have to get out of here first." Draco muttered. "Wandless magic is pretty hard to do when you're in pain and your hands are tied behind your back. Not to mention it doesn't seem to be as strong here for some reason, I found that out last time."

"There might be something in the shackles limiting our magic use." Hermione replied thoughtfully. "Sirius was clever enough to put something like that into them, and chances are these shackles are from Sirius's collection."

"Very good." A voice called from the doorway and both Hermione and Draco turned to see a smirking Harry standing leaning against the doorframe. "But then again I expected no less from you. You always were too clever for your own good."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes as Harry stalked towards her.

"You're supposed to be the clever one. You work it out, Hermione." Harry smirked.

Hermione was surprised that Harry knew who she was, but she was clever enough to make sure her shock didn't register on her face. Instead she just raised a questioning eyebrow in Harry's direction.

"Who's Hermione?"

"You can cut the act, I know it's you." Harry said. "And while you're at it, you can drop the glamour charms."

"First, I have no idea what you're talking about." Hermione retorted. "And secondly, I can't drop the charms. I have no wand and my hands are tied behind my back."

"Don't think I'm going to release your hands." Harry said, glaring at Hermione. "I'm not taking any chances with you, I know what you're capable of. You're going to stay tied up until you admit the truth."

"And what is the truth?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes as though she was bored of proceedings. What she was really trying to do was distract Harry so he wouldn't notice her trying to untie her hands, but unfortunately Draco was right and her wandless magic wasn't strong enough to undo the tight knots.

"That you're really Hermione Granger." Harry replied. "Or Riddle, or whatever name you go by."

"That would be Malfoy." Hermione answered.

"And what about your first name?" Harry demanded.

"Only my family and close friends know that, and you're neither." Hermione retorted.

"I'm not am I?" Harry replied shaking his head. Flicking his wand he summoned a chair and sat down in front of his two prisoners. "I was just someone you used. I was never truly your friend, you never truly cared for me."

"And this Hermione Granger you claim I am, did you ever care for her?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Harry nodded. "I thought she was my best friend, and I loved her."

"But yet you soon forgot about her." Hermione chuckled bitterly. "Did you ever write to her after she left?"

"No, but you didn't write to us either." Harry retorted.

"Owls work both ways." Hermione countered. "If you had truly cared about her and thought she was your friend you would have done more to find her. Instead you were happy to let her fade from your life."

The Dark Lady's words momentarily hit home with Harry, and he admitted to himself that she was right. Even though Hermione had vanished from their lives, everyone had just let it happen. They hadn't bothered to write to her when they didn't hear from her, and they'd never once considered trying to find her.

"That's not the point." Harry snarled, deciding not to dwell on what he'd just realised. "The point is you lied to us for seven years. You were always working against us, you murderous bitch. The only reason Ron and I befriended you in the first place was because we felt sorry for you."

"Really?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry, inwardly smirking as his nostrils flared as he began to realise that he wasn't affecting her.

"Yes." Harry snapped. "You were a bossy little friendless know-it-all, and we pitied you."

"Please, you and Weasley loved having her as a friend." Draco scoffed. "Without her you wouldn't have been able to do anything. She dragged your sorry arses through school, without her as your friend you would have failed every single exam set in front of you. Face it Potter, you were the ones using her for her brains."

"Shut up." Harry snapped at the blond, jumping up and rounding on him with his wand. "I didn't ask for your opinion, you Death Eater scumbag."

"You don't frighten me, Potter." Draco sneered. "I've been on the end of your curses before, they're not up to much."

"Let's see if I've improved, shall we?" Harry smirked evilly. "Crucio!"

Hermione's eyes widened in horror as Harry shot the curse at her husband, and Draco let out a low grunt of pain. The spell was forceful enough to cause Draco to topple over, and even though he only emitted a few noises, Hermione could see how much pain he was in.

"Stop it." She ordered Harry, her anger evident in her voice. If she wasn't restrained she knew she would have really scared Harry, but as it was he just looked amused.

"Is this bothering you?" He grinned. "Do you not like watching your precious husband getting tortured?"

"What exactly do you want?" Hermione spat at Harry. She may have been holding onto some friendly feelings towards Harry, but they were diminishing with every passing second and being replaced by hate and loathing.

"I want the truth." Harry replied, dropping the curse on Draco. "I want you to admit who you truly are."

"Why?" Hermione asked, keeping one eye on her husband to make sure he was okay. When Draco gave her a reassuring smile and sat himself back up, Hermione refocused her attention on Harry. "What difference does it make who I really am?"

"I'm going to unmask you." Harry grinned. "People love you now, but what will happen once they discover the truth. What happens when they find out you went to school posing as a muggleborn? Lucius holds Hermione Granger up as the perfect reason muggleborns shouldn't be in our world, yet here she is, pulling his strings. Once people know the truth about you, they'll turn on you like a pack of wolves and everything you've worked for will disappear."

"Is what I've achieved really that bad?" Hermione asked Harry in a bid to delay the torture he was inevitably going to inflict on her. She was beginning to form a plan, but she couldn't achieve it if she was in pain. "I've set up a school for children to attend before going to Hogwarts, I've given people a shopping complex and in a few months the museum and library will be opening. Not to mention the animal sanctuary and the squib charity."

"They're all a front so you can achieve your true aim. Ridding the world of muggleborns." Harry declared. "Now I'm going to do the world a favour, and rid it of you. Crucio!"

Hermione was taken by surprise by how powerful Harry's curse was and she emitted a cry of pain as it hit her. Amid the pain she spotted Harry smirking, and heard Draco begging Harry to stop. Trying to ignore the wracking spasms of agony that coursed through her body, she managed to turn her head and catch Draco's eye. With great effort she managed to shake her head at Draco, and her husband reluctantly stopped his begging. He understood the silent message that Hermione was sending him. Stay quiet and don't give Harry what he wanted.

"Damn bitch." Harry swore as he ended the curse. Apart from her first cry, The Dark Lady had remained quiet throughout her torture, and even Draco had fallen quiet and was just watching his wife, pain visible in his grey eyes as he watched her suffer.

"What's wrong, Potter?" Hermione gasped as she righted herself so she was sitting back up. "Are things not going to plan? Are we tougher to crack then you expected?"

"Not to worry, I've got all the time in the world." Harry grinned. He had expected The Dark Lady to admit who she was right away, but he had no problems with continuing the torture until she was ready to be honest with him.

Giving The Dark Lady a threatening look, Harry turned and focused his attention on Draco. Both Hermione and Draco knew what was to come and the couple managed to share a look before Draco was hit with yet another curse. Hermione shut her eyes so she didn't have to witness her husband being tortured, but the images were burned into her head and she couldn't get rid of them. Trying her best to focus, she thought of Lucius and tried to send a message to his mark.

"You're supposed to be watching." Harry snarled, briefly breaking off the torture of Draco and turning to The Dark Lady.

Harry gave Hermione another sharp burst of the Cruciatius curse, before casting a charm on her that forced her to keep her eyes open and her head pointed towards Draco. He then resumed his torturing of Draco, grinning as The Dark Lady was forced to watch her husband suffer.

Between watching Draco get tortured, and the occasional curse Harry would throw her way, it took Hermione a long time to be focused enough to send a proper message to Lucius. A couple of times she'd sent a quick burst to his mark, but she knew the connection hadn't been strong enough to bring him to her. Eventually though she managed to send a proper message, a message that would be strong enough to bring her right hand man directly to her.

"What are you smirking at?" Harry frowned when he saw a smile appear on the face of The Dark Lady.

Hermione didn't bother to answer, instead she raised an eyebrow and gestured to behind Harry where a pillow of black smoke had suddenly appeared. Harry whirled round, cursing when he spotted the black smoke that accompanied the arrival of a Death Eater. Clutching his wand, Harry prepared to face down one of The Dark Lady's follower's. What he didn't expect was to find himself face to face with three people. The man in the centre, standing with his wand pointing at Harry and a furious look on his face was Lucius Malfoy. Beside him, wearing an almost identical furious expression and wielding a wand, was a witch Harry didn't recognise. But it was the third and final person that captivated Harry's attention. While he was a lot older and didn't look as strong as he once had been, Lord Voldemort stood with his wand also pointing at Harry.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Harry Potter." Voldemort smirked.

"But, but, you're dead." Harry stammered.

"Clearly not." Voldemort retorted with an evil grin. "But you're soon going to be dead for messing with my daughter."

Harry gulped at Voldemort's threat, suddenly he was in way too deep and he knew he wouldn't survive the encounter that was to follow. The end of Harry Potter was in sight, and everyone in the room knew it.


	47. Rescue

Despite the tricky task that lay ahead of him, Lucius wasted no time in depositing Hermione's bag in his study at the Manor and opening the floo network. He knew he really should inform Narcissa of what was happening, but images of how she'd suffered last time kept invading his mind, bringing him to the decision that he would wait until after he'd spoken to The Dark Lord before telling his wife that Draco was once again missing.

When Lucius arrived at the Riddle's house he found Voldemort and Kathleen in the study. The pair were sitting at the desk, looking over some papers and Lucius hated the fact he was bringing bad news. As soon as Voldemort looked up to greet their unexpected guest he knew it was bad news and his welcoming smile dropped.

"What is it?" Voldemort demanded, not even bothering to say hello to his friend.

"It's Hermione." Lucius cut straight to the chase as he knew Voldemort didn't like to be messed around. "She and Draco are missing."

Sitting down in the chair Kathleen offered him, Lucius proceeded to tell Hermione's parents everything he knew. He knew that the couple would be just as worried as he was, but he knew that like him they would keep control of their emotions and try to work out the best course of action.

"Have you told Narcissa, yet?" Kathleen asked.

"Not yet." Lucius admitted with a sigh. "I would prefer it if we had a plan of action before I tell her what's going on."

Kathleen nodded understandingly. She'd witnessed how devastated Narcissa had been the first time Draco was missing, and could understand Lucius's caution about finding the right time to inform her of the situation. No doubt if she hadn't been working from home this afternoon her husband would have done the same to her.

"Can you trace Hermione through the mark?" Kathleen asked her husband, remembering the time he'd saved her life that way.

"No." Voldemort shook his head sadly. "Firstly she doesn't have the mark, making connecting to her next to impossible. And secondly I have no magic. Even if there was a chance to locate her, I'm not strong enough to do it. Although, speaking of which, Lucius do you still have any of that potion you got from Sweden?"

"No." Lucius replied regretfully. "I was only sent the one batch and when you decided not to carry on using it I never bothered to get any more. I could get in touch with the wizard that makes it, but it could take months to make depending on if he has the ingredients."

"We can find another way." Kathleen told her husband. "That potion almost killed you last time, and Hermione would never forgive herself if you risked your life to save hers."

"I know, but I feel so useless." Voldemort sighed.

A brief silence fell as the trio all tried to think of other ways to track Hermione and Draco. Lucius was just considering going back to the alley where Hermione's bag was found and investigating further when he felt his mark sting. He knew it was Hermione, but the feeling was so brief that he didn't know where she was. Normally he got a pulling sensation to her presence and all he had to do was think of her to appear where she was, but all he got this time was a tingle of her presence in his head.

"What is it?" Voldemort asked when he spotted Lucius looking down at his left arm.

"Hermione." Lucius answered, explaining about the feeling he'd just experienced.

"At least we know she's alive." Kathleen said, breathing a huge sigh of relief. She was still desperate to get her daughter back, but for the minute they knew she was alive.

"Yes, but she's obviously struggling with the connection." Voldemort frowned. "Calling for Lucius should be second nature to her, but to have problems she must either be in pain or distress."

"Knowing Hermione she'll keep trying." Lucius replied confidently. Minutes later a second sensation passed through Lucius's mark, but again it wasn't strong enough to lead him to The Dark Lady.

"Since Hermione's trying to get through to Lucius, we need to be prepared to go when she does make proper contact." Voldemort announced as he stood up.

"What do you mean, we?" Kathleen asked her husband, watching as he walked over to his desk and pulled out his wand. Despite not having magic he kept the wand in the drawer and Kathleen had seen him stroking it longingly.

"Just as I said, we." Voldemort replied. "I'm going with Lucius. I may not have magic but whoever has Hermione and Draco doesn't know that. Hopefully my presence will be enough to distract them long enough for Lucius to take control of the situation."

"If that's the case, I'm coming as well." Kathleen announced.

"Very well." Voldemort nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue with his wife. "Before we go I think I should take a strengthening potion to boost myself. Could you go and get me the strongest one we have?"

Kathleen nodded and rushed off to go and get her husband's potion. When she returned, Voldemort downed the potion in one go, instantly feeling the effects. While they waited for Hermione to make proper contact they began to make plans for when they arrived at wherever Hermione and Draco were. The plan was pretty simple, Voldemort would distract the kidnapper and while Lucius was dealing with whoever had snatched Hermione and Draco, Kathleen would locate their children and free them.

Lucius kept receiving stinging pains in his mark, which were slowly getting stronger. As the potency of the feelings increased, Voldemort and Kathleen moved to either side of Lucius and took hold of his arms. When the proper call eventually came through from Hermione, Lucius gave her parents a sharp nod before waving his wand and the trio disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

When they arrived at their destination, Lucius almost groaned at the sight of Harry. He should have known he was behind it all. The Order hadn't bothered them for ages, then a few months after he returned Hermione and Draco went missing. He should have made the connection earlier, but Lucius would fully admit that the worry had clouded his mind.

Lucius smirked at Harry's obvious shock at seeing Voldemort and he watched with glee as The Dark Lord began to verbally toy with The Boy Who Lived. While Voldemort was busy baiting a clearly shocked Harry, Kathleen broke away from the two men. Moving slowly to the side, she studied Draco and Hermione. The pair were both sitting watching the action, but Kathleen could see they were both in pain. Draco especially looked as though he was about to pass out at any minute.

"Oh no, you don't." Harry shouted, whirling around and pointing his wand at Kathleen. "You're not saving them."

"You can't face all three of us and win." Lucius mocked.

"I can try." Harry declared as he unexpectedly fired a curse at Kathleen before spinning round and firing a curse at Lucius.

The curse that hit Kathleen threw her back against the wall, but she quickly recovered and got to her feet. Lucius meanwhile managed to dodge the spell thrown by Harry, and throw one of his own at the young wizard. Despite not being able to cast any spells, something Harry hadn't seemed to pick up on yet, Voldemort entered the fray. Voldemort baited Harry and kept distracting him from his fight so that Lucius could easily get the upper hand and make sure Harry suffered before he finally ended up dead. While the men were fighting, Kathleen hurried over to Draco and Hermione.

"Are you alright?" Kathleen asked as she untied Hermione's hands and magically broke the shackle keeping her attached to the wall.

"I guess." Hermione replied, her head swivelling towards her now unconscious husband. "How's Draco?"

"He'll be okay, we just need to get him out of here." Kathleen replied as she checked her son-in-law over while she was freeing him from his bindings.

"Get him to safety, now." Hermione ordered her mother.

"What about you?" Kathleen asked. "I'm not leaving you unprotected."

"I'll be fine." Hermione reassured her mother. "I want to see Lucius finish the job. Make sure Draco is safe."

"Fine." Kathleen nodded. "But stay where you are. Don't you dare get up and join in the fighting."

"I couldn't if I wanted to." Hermione muttered. If it wasn't for the fact that Draco needed help more than her and she wanted to see how things ended with Harry then she would be accompanying her mother to safety.

Kathleen took one final look at the fight, which looked as though it was almost over, before getting a tight hold on Draco and apparating them back to her house. Hermione watched to make sure Draco and her mother had gotten away safely, before scrambling to her feet. The second she started to move, Voldemort was at her side and Hermione gratefully leant on her father for support. Even though she knew Voldemort wasn't as strong as he'd once been, she knew he was strong enough to help her remain on her feet to witness the end of Harry.

"Are you okay?" Voldemort whispered to his daughter.

"I will be." Hermione replied quietly. "Especially once we've finished up here and I can go home to Draco."

Knowing the end for Harry was in sight both Hermione and Voldemort turned their attention to the fight between Hermione's former friend and her right hand man. In the last few minutes Harry had fallen over yet again and Lucius was now hovering over him with an evil smirk on his face. Hermione knew Lucius could have disposed of Harry almost immediately, but he was toying with him, making sure he suffered before he met his end.

"It looks like your times up Potter." Lucius smirked down at a bloody Harry. The younger wizard was in rather a state, having been hit with several curses in the last couple of minutes. "You really shouldn't mess with the people I love."

Despite the terror building inside of Harry, he still tried to scramble to his feet. However that was hard to do as Lucius had hit him with a few nasty curses and he had practically no strength. Eventually Harry made it to his knees, and glanced over to where The Dark Lady was standing watching him, being supported by her father. Seeing him watching, The Dark Lady plucked her father's wand from his hand and waved it in front of her to drop the glamour charms. Now he was no longer looking at The Dark Lady, he was staring at Hermione.

"I knew it." Harry whispered triumphantly, before Lucius flung him back to the floor and reality kicked back in for the terrified wizard.

"Avada Kedavra." Lucius hissed, deciding the time was right to end Potter once and for all. He knew Kathleen had already left with Draco, and from the looks of Hermione she needed to be leaving to seek medical treatment, so as much as he would have loved to have toyed with Potter for longer it was time to end things.

As the jet of green light left Lucius's wand, Hermione turned her head away from the scene. After what she'd just endured she was pleased Harry had been dealt with, but he had been her friend for a long time and she had no desire to witness his final moments.

"Are you okay?" Voldemort asked quietly, this time enquiring about his daughter's mental state not her physical condition.

"I'm fine." Hermione replied, pushing her emotions to one side and entering Dark Lady mode. "We just need to ensure there's no come back on us now."

"Whatever you want, I'll take care of it." Lucius offered. "You need to get home and see a Healer."

"Call Blaise and Theo and get them to help you." Hermione told Lucius. "Make sure Harry's properly disposed of, I don't want anyone finding him."

"What about the Weasley's?" Lucius questioned. "They're going to cause a fuss if he just goes missing."

"Grab some hairs and get Blaise to use polyjuice potion to pose as Harry. Tell him to go to Harry and Ginny's flat, pack up all of his stuff and tell Ginny he's leaving." Hermione ordered. "According to Charlie half the family are just waiting for him to desert Ginny again, so it should be believable. Tell Blaise to use me as an excuse, tell him to tell Ginny that he can't let go of his hatred towards me and can't be around while I'm still here. That should stop her from causing too many problems."

Since Voldemort had no magic and Hermione was in too much pain to concentrate properly, it was decided that Lucius would apparate the pair back to the Riddle's. Before they left Lucius cast several protection spells on the Shrieking Shack, making sure no-one would enter the place without him knowing about it. Satisfied that no-one would stumble upon Harry's body until he returned, Lucius took Voldemort and Hermione back home.

Kathleen was waiting for them in the front room, and after checking her daughter was alright she reassured Hermione that Draco was fine. Kathleen told Lucius that she'd informed Narcissa and Narcissa had gotten in touch with the Malfoy's private healer and that he was checking on Draco at the minute.

"Where is Draco?" Hermione asked.

"In your old room." Kathleen answered. "The healer didn't want to move Draco until he was feeling a bit better, so I thought you could stay here for a few days."

Hermione nodded, knowing that at least that way her father could see her more often.

"Come on, we need to get you checked out as well." Lucius said, wrapping an arm around Hermione and helping her towards the stairs.

Because the healer was still around, Voldemort disappeared into his study while Kathleen and Lucius helped Hermione up to her old room. When they entered the room, Hermione found her double bed had been enlarged quite a bit and there was lots of space beside Draco. Narcissa was sitting beside the bed, but when she saw Hermione she jumped up and rushed over to her daughter-in-law.

"I'm fine." Hermione reassured Narcissa as the older witch enquired after her health. "How's Draco?"

"Okay." Narcissa replied. "He's in a bit of pain and will be sore for a while, but he's nowhere near as bad as he was last time."

"Where's the Healer?" Lucius asked. "Hermione needs checking out."

"He's in the bathroom." Narcissa told her husband.

"What about my glamour's?" Hermione asked. "I haven't got the strength to reapply them."

Lucius smiled at Hermione and quickly recast her glamour spells moments before the healer re-entered the room. Lucius stayed long enough to know Hermione was all right, before leaving to deal with Harry's body. Hopefully the disposal of the body and what would follow would all run according to plan, and then they could move on with their lives.


	48. Tying the Loose Ends

In the dim shadows of the Shrieking Shack, Lucius ensured there was no sign of anyone ever being in the abandoned building while Blaise and Theo got Harry's body ready for disposal. Lucius had sent for the two wizards, and given them a list of provisions to bring with them, before returning to the Shrieking Shack. When they arrived he gave the lads a brief description of what had happened, and explained to them what their jobs would be.

"Are you ready?" Lucius asked once he was satisfied that he'd done all he could to eradicate any evidence of what had happened earlier. "Blaise, do you have the hairs?"

"Yeah." Blaise nodded, holding up a vial which contained several of Harry's hairs.

"Go up to the school and get some polyjuice potion off Severus." Lucius told the younger wizard. "Then go and ensure Potter disappears from the Weasley's lives for good. You can cope with playing Potter for a while, can't you?"

"Of course." Blaise nodded confidently. "I'll be in and out before you know it."

"Don't be too hasty." Lucius warned. "The Weasley's have to genuinely believe Potter chose to leave of his own free will. If they start causing trouble because he's missing and they were suspicious of his behaviour the last time they saw him, The Dark Lady will not be happy with you."

"I won't mess up, I promise." Blaise vowed. "The Weasley's will just think Potter's left, and quite possibly by the time I'm finished they won't ever want to see him again."

"Don't be too harsh, Blaise." Lucius cautioned, wondering if Hermione had made the right decision in picking Blaise to impersonate Harry, maybe Theo would have been a safer option. "If you go in there insulting them, their suspicions will be raised."

"I'm hoping not to deal with anyone but his girlfriend." Blaise replied. "By the time I've broken her heart as Potter the rest of the family will hate him."

Lucius nodded, knowing Blaise was right. He knew from Percy's grumblings that Harry's last departure hadn't gone down well with the family, and repeat performance would undoubtedly cause even more disharmony. If Blaise played it right, the Weasley's wouldn't want anything to do with Harry after tonight and they wouldn't dream of trying to locate him.

"Off you go, and come to the Manor when it's all done." Lucius said to Blaise. Once Blaise had departed to complete his task, he turned to Theo, who was standing waiting for instructions. "Lift your end of the body, and arrange yourself so you can grab hold of my arm to apparate. I don't want to take off and leave you behind."

"Where are we going?" Theo asked, as he cast a lightweight charm on Harry's body and picked up his feet.

"We're taking a trip to the sea." Lucius replied, as he picked up his end of the body.

Once Theo was holding onto Lucius's arm, the wizard swished his wand and the pair vanished with a crack. When they reappeared they were standing on some rocks and Theo shivered at the cold. A movement overhead caught his eye and when he looked up he saw Dementors swooping around in the sky. Glancing behind him he found the large foreboding building that was Azkaban prison looming over them.

"There's a charm around the prison that sucks anything in the sea to the bottom." Lucius explained. "That's why you can't arrive by boat. As soon as you reach the parameters of the spell you'd be pulled under the water and drowned."

"But I thought Sirius Black escaped from prison by disguising himself as a dog and swimming out." Theo replied.

"He did." Lucius nodded. "I was the one who placed the charm around the prison when I became Minister. No-one is escaping here on my watch."

"So, what do we do? Just throw him into the sea?" Theo asked.

Lucius nodded, and together the two men deposited Harry's body into the cold North Sea. The second the body hit the waters a whirlpool formed, sucking Harry down into the depths. Now no-one would ever find his body, no matter how hard they looked. Even tracking spells couldn't locate him at the bottom of the sea.

"Thank you for your help, Theo." Lucius said. "I have another couple of jobs for you. I want you to go and see Draco's secretary and let her know Draco is safe and won't be in work for a few days. Remind her that I expect discretion in the matter. Also go and see Lavender and tell her everything's okay. You can tell her the truth, but again make it clear that she keeps quiet."

"Okay. Do you want me to come to the Manor, once that's done? I'd like to see Draco and Hermione." Theo said.

"You can come back to the Manor just in case Blaise fails and he needs our help in sorting things." Lucius replied. "But seeing Draco and Hermione will have to wait. Neither of them are ready for visitors just yet, and they're actually staying with Hermione's mother."

Theo nodded his head as the two wizards pulled out their wands and each apparated off the island where Azkaban was located. Theo headed off to complete the other tasks Lucius had set for him, while Lucius headed home. After checking with Narcissa that Draco and Hermione were okay, he settled down in his study to await the return of Blaise and Theo. Hopefully by the time he saw Hermione in the morning he would be able to tell her that everything was sorted and the Weasley's wouldn't be an issue.

**[][][][][]**

After getting the polyjuice potion of Severus, Blaise added Harry's hairs to the mix and stored the vial securely in his robes. He then apparated to where Lucius told him Harry's flat was located and drowned the horrible tasting potion. Once he looked like Harry, Blaise transfigured his clothes into the outfit he'd seen Harry wearing and switched wands. Lucius had given him Harry's wand so he could bypass any charms surrounding the flat, not to mention that whole thing had to be believable and it might arouse suspicions if Ginny saw him using a wand that wasn't Harry's.

Gaining access to the flat was surprisingly easy, a quick swish of Harry's wand over the lock caused the door to spring open. Entering the flat, Blaise had a quick glance around before finding the bedroom and locating a suitable bag. Magically extending the bag, he used magic to pack Harry's belongings in the bedroom before moving onto the bathroom. Blaise had moved into the front room and was gathering other bits and pieces when the front door opened and Ginny entered the flat.

"What's going on?" The redhead asked, stopping at the sight of her boyfriend packing his bag.

"I'm leaving." Blaise answered. He'd decided to keep his responses short and to the point in order to give Ginny less chance of working out there was something wrong.

"Why?" Ginny whispered.

Blaise turned around to face the redhead and was momentarily thrown by the devastated look on her face. Shaking off his sympathy pangs, Blaise sighed and perched on the edge of the coffee table.

"I thought I could do it, but I can't." Blaise said. He was good enough friend's with Charlie to know what promises Harry had made about The Dark Lady upon his return. "I can't just live my life as though nothing is happening, when she's running around the place."

"The Dark Lady." Ginny shook her head in defeat. "I never stood a chance did I? You were never going to give up on your stupid vendetta."

"I tried." Blaise said.

"Not hard enough." Ginny snapped. "I knew this was coming, I've just been trying to convince myself I was being foolish."

"How did you know?" Blaise asked, curious as to what had been going on between Harry and his girlfriend to make his exit unsurprising.

"Do you not think I've noticed your shifty behaviour these last few months?" Ginny snorted. "I knew you were up to something, but to be honest I was expecting you to try and create problems for The Dark Lady again."

"I tried." Blaise said, suddenly seeing an opportunity to make sure Ginny really wouldn't care when Harry was missing from her life. "I tried to kidnap Malfoy in order to get to her, but he fought me off. I ran and that's why I'm leaving, I'm not risking her coming after me."

"You tried to kidnap Malfoy." Ginny repeated in a cold voice. "After everything that happened last time, I can't believe you would be so stupid. Maybe leaving is the best thing for you to do, before you get yourself killed. All you had to do was stay away from her, but you couldn't resist, could you? I thought you loved me, Harry."

"I do." Blaise replied, because he was fairly certain that Harry had loved Ginny.

"Not enough." Ginny said sadly. "If you truly loved me then you wouldn't have started this again. We could have been happy together, but instead you chose vengeance over me."

Blaise lowered his head trying to look sheepish. He fully agreed with everything the redheaded witch was saying. If Harry had truly loved Ginny, then he would have left Hermione and Draco alone. Hermione had made it clear that she wasn't going after him, so he had no reason to be stirring up trouble again. Instead he'd thrown away the love of a beautiful witch who clearly adored him, and for that reason Blaise couldn't sympathise with Harry for a second. It was his own fault that he was lying dead in the ground instead of being tucked up snugly with Ginny.

"You can leave now." Ginny said firmly. "I never want to see you again. I gave you a second chance and you blew it."

Picking up the bag in which he'd packed Harry's stuff, Blaise made his way to the door with Ginny following behind him. The second he was out of the flat, Ginny slammed the door and he could hear her changing the wards. Smirking at how perfectly everything had gone, Blaise slipped into the shadows and apparated to the Manor to inform Lucius that everything had gone to plan.

**[][][][][]**

When Draco emerged from the bathroom he found Hermione standing beside the window, looking out at the night sky. Moving across to her he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. For a long time the couple stood at the window in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

It had been just over a week since their kidnapping ordeal and Draco knew that Hermione was still blaming herself for everything. The couple had spent their first few days recovering with Voldemort and Kathleen, and the only time Hermione had spoken about the incident was when Lucius visited the day after and reassured her everything was taken care of. After that she hadn't spoken about what had happened or Harry, but Draco could see the guilt in her eyes when she looked at him.

"You have to stop blaming yourself." He said quietly, deciding they needed to deal with Hermione's issues if they ever wanted to move on. "This isn't your fault."

"Isn't it? Because it feels like it's my fault." Hermione retorted. "Harry used you to get to me, and he wouldn't have done that had he not worked out who I was. If I hadn't been posing as muggleborn for years and befriend him then maybe he would have left me alone."

"That was never going to happen." Draco said, turning his wife around in his arms and lifting her chin so she was looking at him. "He was after you before he worked out who you were. You gave him chance after chance to leave you alone and live his own life, but he failed to take them. He made his own decisions, Hermione."

"I guess so." Hermione sighed. "But I still have to live with the fact you got hurt because of me. That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't given him so many chances. I could have ended this years ago."

"You were doing what you thought was for the best." Draco argued. "I don't blame you for not wanting to get rid of your friends. You left them alone to live their lives, it's not your fault they couldn't do the same."

"I did care about them you know." Hermione admitted quietly. "I tried not to get too emotionally involved with them, but I did care for them."

"I know, sweetheart." Draco said, pulling Hermione back into his arms. "If you didn't care you would have disposed of them ages ago. You only got rid of them when you were left with no other choice."

"I'm still sorry." Hermione whispered. "I'm still the reason you got hurt."

"Hermione, I'm fine." Draco reassured his wife. "I don't blame you, and you are not to blame yourself any more. We are going to forget all about Potter and the Order. They're in the past, and now it's time to concentrate on our future."

"And what sort of plans do you have for the future?" Hermione asked, wrapping her arms around Draco's neck and smiling at her husband.

"Our immediate future involves a bed and no clothes." Draco smirked, as he swept Hermione up in his arms and carried her the short distance to their bed.

Throwing Hermione onto the bed, Draco followed her and the few bits of clothing they were wearing were soon discarded. Before long thoughts of Harry were well gone as Hermione luxuriated in her husband's touch.

At the end of the day people made their own choices, and Hermione couldn't hold herself responsible for Harry's choices. He'd chosen his path and she'd chosen hers, it was just unfortunate that their paths collided and Harry came off worse. In another time and another place Harry might have been the victor, but not this time. This time The Dark Lady reigned supreme.

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**A/N – We've just got the epilogue to go now, then this trilogy is finally completed. I just want to thank everyone that has supported this story, especially since it's very long and it's taken months to post the entire thing. I appreciate people sticking with such a long story, especially a dark one where things are very different to other stories. **


	49. Epilogue

**Five Years Later.**

Despite the fact she was supposed to be working, Hermione kept sneaking looks at the clock. She'd only been back at work for an hour and already she was ready to go home. Hermione had just returned from maternity leave after having her first child, a boy named Scorpius, three months earlier. While she was off work Hermione had kept up to date with work via Lavender so she wasn't totally unaware of what had been happening.

"You know I can manage if you're not ready to come back." Lavender remarked, spotting Hermione glancing at the clock for the third time in ten minutes.

A year ago Hermione had given Lavender a promotion and she was now the second in command at DL Holdings. Lavender had ran things in Hermione's absence, and while Hermione was still the boss and had final say on major decisions, Lavender had a fair bit of power in the company.

"I've been itching to come back since before I had Scorpius. I just never realised how much I would miss him." Hermione said.

"He is a cutie." Lavender smiled. The youngest Malfoy was a gorgeous child and he'd instantly won the hearts of Draco and Hermione's closest friends.

"He is." Hermione agreed. "But let's press on. Once I'm back up date with everything I should be able to work part time for the next few years. Unless of course, you're planning on having children any time soon."

Lavender chuckled at Hermione's words and shook her head. "Maybe one day, but not right now. Greg and I are happy just the two of us."

Lavender and Greg had gotten married two years ago, and the couple were still blissfully happy and head over heels in love with one another. And while children were definitely something they both wanted, they weren't quite ready for parenthood just yet. Lavender's career with DL Holdings was coming along nicely and she had no intention of scaling back her work, especially now she had extra responsibility following Hermione starting a family. Greg's career was also on a high as project manager on all the Dark Lady's buildings. He spent his entire time travelling from site to site making sure everything was on track and he was invaluable to Hermione and her business.

"Let's start at the beginning." Hermione suggested to Lavender, keen to press on. "We'll deal with each business one by one, starting with the school."

Lavender nodded and pulled out the file that dealt with the school. As usual there was nothing that needed Hermione's attention at the school, Narcissa had everything well in hand. Looking over the admittance figures, Hermione was pleased to note that there was only a tiny portion of wizarding children who didn't attend the school. The school had been a massive success, with Wizarding Britain welcoming it with open arms.

The school had also been a massive boost for Hogwarts. Hermione's school had now been open so long that the curriculum had been changed at Hogwarts. First year lessons were no longer as basic as the children entering Hogwarts knew much more about magic. That had a knock on effect throughout the rest of the school and some of the classes in sixth and seventh year were much more advanced than they'd ever been before. Also rivalries between the four houses had simmered down and were now just friendly banter. Severus often commented on how common it now was to see children from all four houses mixing freely, and friendships effortlessly stretched across houses.

As well as her first school, Hermione also had schools in almost every country with a magical population. The muggleborn registration programme had also been implemented a lot more throughout the last five years, and more importantly relations across the entire wizarding world was stronger. Witches and Wizards now regularly transferred to work abroad for a few years, and there was currently talk of an exchange programme being set up with various schools across the globe.

Moving her attention away from the schools, Hermione found her other businesses were running just as well. Her shopping centre was so popular it now had a waiting list for businesses wanting to get a place in the centre. In fact the list was so long that Hermione wondered if it was worth building a second shopping centre, maybe somewhere up north. When Hermione suggested it to Lavender, the other witch chuckled and mentioned that she'd already found the perfect site up in Scotland.

"I was just waiting to run it by you." Lavender told Hermione. "We've got first refusal on the land, I just have to let them know by next week."

"Go ahead." Hermione said to Lavender. "And you can take charge of the entire thing, this can be your project."

"Really?" Lavender smiled at the opportunity she was being handed.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "I've got a new project of my own in mind."

"Do I get to find out what?" Lavender asked.

"I'm going to buy an island and create an exclusive holiday resort." Hermione announced. "If it works, we could have dozens throughout the world."

Lavender nodded enthusiastically, but before they could get down to talking about Hermione's new plans they had to finish looking over the rest of her businesses. Like with the school the animal sanctuary was running smoothly in Charlie's safe hands. Their sanctuary now boasted the largest collection of magical creatures in Europe, and last time Hermione had spoken to Charlie he was talking about expanding the sanctuary. Now she was back at work, Hermione made a note to visit the sanctuary so they could discuss plans.

Looking over the figures for the museum and library, Hermione was pleased to see that was doing as well as her other businesses. Her mother had really done a great job at making the museum interesting and inviting. Hogwarts regularly ran school trips to the museum and they'd also had enquires about opening up a similar style museum over in France.

Hermione's newest venture was a luxury hotel complex, complete with spa and gym facilities. The place had opened a few months before she's discovered she was pregnant, and at the time Hermione planned to open a similar hotel in as many countries as possible. Looking at how well the business was doing, Hermione was hopeful it could still happen now she was back at work and could give new projects the go-ahead.

After viewing all her profitable business ventures, Hermione turned her attention to the squib charity. The charity was still going strong, and two years ago they'd made their first breakthrough. Daniel and his team had invented a potion that when injected into squibs at a young age could help their magic develop. It wasn't a cure, and often magic was still pretty limited in those who'd received the injection, but at least it was a start. They were giving magical people a chance of having some magic, where before they'd had none at all. Although even with the potion, research was still ongoing to find a long term solution to squibs and Daniel seemed pretty confident that answers would be found eventually.

Once Hermione had finished checking over her various business ventures, she and Lavender settled down to talk about her new idea of the island resorts. After an hour or so talking business their conversation drifted into gossiping about their friends. Hermione had kept up to date with her friends lives throughout her pregnancy, and while she'd seen them all since having Scorpius, her son was now taking the majority of her attention.

"I've got a postcard from Daphne in my office." Lavender told Hermione, when she inquired about a newly married Daphne and Theo. "Apparently they're having a great time."

"I can't believe she had time to send postcards on her honeymoon." Hermione laughed. "I never gave anyone but Draco a second thought on our honeymoon."

"I was the same." Lavender said. "The only thing on my mind was having fun with Greg."

"Speaking of fun, what do you know about Blaise's new girlfriend?" Hermione asked.

She'd been totally surprised when during one of his visits to the house, Blaise had mentioned a girlfriend. However when Hermione had asked him more he clammed up, claiming it was early days and he didn't want to jinx things. When he left Draco confided in her that Blaise had told him he was serious about this witch and he thought she was the real deal.

"You don't know." Lavender looked at Hermione in shock. "Haven't you read the paper this morning?"

"I didn't have time." Hermione replied. "I had to get Scorpius ready to go to my mothers."

For the minute Scorpius's childcare was being provided by his two grandmothers. Since Hermione was only coming back to work part time, it was easy enough for the three of them to arrange a schedule so that sometimes Narcissa had Scorpius and other times Kathleen had him.

"Here, have a look at the gossip section." Lavender said, summoning a paper and handing it to her friend.

Hermione flicked through the paper until she reached the gossip section. When she found what she was looking for her mouth dropped open in surprise. The largest picture on the page was of Blaise coming out of a club with his arm around a smiling Ginny. There was another smaller couple of pictures of the pair, and in all of them they looked very happy together.

"Wow, I didn't see this one coming." Hermione said, placing the paper down on the table.

"I don't think anyone did." Lavender laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day when Blaise got serious about someone, least of all Ginny."

Hermione had to agree with Lavender, not only was a serious relationship a surprise coming from Blaise, but his choice of witch was strange. Hermione had to wonder how he could be with Ginny all the time knowing that Harry was dead and he'd helped make her believe that he'd left her. Next time she saw him she would have to talk to him, just to ensure that their secret remained a secret. Although if he really was serious about Ginny, she doubted he would tell her the truth. Telling her the truth would be a sure fire way to end the relationship before it even had a chance to really begin.

After a bit more gossiping, Hermione did a bit of work before calling it a day. She trusted Lavender to handle things at work, and she knew where to find her if there was an emergency. Saying goodbye to Lavender, Hermione left the office and apparated to her parents' house.

When Hermione entered the house she headed for the front room. Stopping in the doorway, she smiled at the sight in front of her. Her father was sitting in his chair, with Scorpius cradled on his lap. Voldemort was talking quietly to his grandson, and Hermione could see how thrilled he was that he'd lived to see his grandchild. These days her father was extremely weak, and in her heart Hermione knew he didn't have long to live. However she didn't like to dwell on that and she just embraced every day she and Scorpius had with him.

"Hi." Hermione smiled at her father and son as she entered the room.

Walking over to the chair her father was sitting in, she gave him a kiss before turning her attention to Scorpius and giving him a kiss as well. Perching on the arm of Voldemort's chair, Hermione sat talking with her father for a while. She was still sitting there a few minutes later when her mother entered the room and settled down on the sofa.

Hermione stayed with her parents for another hour before packing Scorpius up and headed off home with her little boy. Home was no longer the penthouse, home was now a three story house in the country, a few miles away from the Manor. Hermione and Draco had bought the house when they discovered Hermione was pregnant. The house had a large garden and plenty of spare bedrooms as the couple planned on adding to their family in the future.

After spending a few hours playing with her son, Hermione fed him, bathed him and got him ready for bed. When Draco returned from work, he found his wife and son on the balcony of the nursery. Hermione was sitting in the rocking chair, cradling Scorpius as she talked to him. Standing watching them, Draco smiled as he listened to his wife tell their son about his destiny.

"You are going to be the next Dark Lord." Hermione told Scorpius. "When you're bigger you're going to continue on our work. You're going to make sure muggleborns never get back in our world, and you're going to achieve great things. You my little darling, are going to rule the world."

"If you tell him stuff like that, he'll be uncontrollable when he's older." Draco chuckled, moving out onto the balcony and kissing his wife and son. "He is a Malfoy, and you know what our egos are like."

"True." Hermione laughed, knowing that Draco and Lucius were pretty egotistical without someone building them up further.

Handing Scorpius to Draco, Hermione stood up and followed her husband and son into the nursery. While Draco was tucking Scorpius into his crib, Hermione shut the balcony doors and ensured the wards around the house were all in place. Since Harry there'd been no danger to her family, but she wasn't taking any risks. Draco and Scorpius meant the world to her, and she would do anything to protect them.

Once the wards were secure, Hermione turned around and helped Draco settle their son. The couple stayed with Scorpius until he was asleep, and once the little boy had drifted off they headed off downstairs to eat and have some time on their own. Over dinner Hermione informed Draco of her new plans for the island resorts.

"Are you still not finished?" Draco chuckled. "How much more power do you want?"

"It's not just about power anymore." Hermione admitted. "I really like creating something special and making the wizarding world a better place. The power I get from doing so, is now just a bonus."

"And you're just building up Scorpius's empire." Draco added. "Between your business and the family company, he's going to have a lot of power and influence when he grows up."

"He is." Hermione nodded. "But he'll be able to handle it just fine. I have faith he's going to grow up to be a great and powerful wizard."

Draco nodded, fully agreeing with his wife. Scorpius had a great future ahead of him and Draco was in no doubt that his son would live up to the expectations laid upon him as the son of The Dark Lady and grandson of The Dark Lord. He even suspected that in the right circumstances his son could outshine both his mother and grandfather. With his heritage he could very well be the darkest wizard to ever live.

**The End.**

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**A/N – This is it, the end of the Dark Lady. I can't believe what started off as one story turned into such a huge trilogy. However, I enjoyed writing every single chapter and I'm really pleased with the end result. I'm also really pleased by the positive support I've received for this story. So once again, thanks to everyone for their reviews/follows/faves. **


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